


Witches and Winchesters

by airam06



Series: Stardust [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Happy times, M/M, No Major Character Death, SO MUCH FLUFF, Smut, like ridiculous amounts of smut, minimal angst, not an au, temporary gender swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-05
Updated: 2014-07-05
Packaged: 2018-02-07 15:19:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 35,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1903923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/airam06/pseuds/airam06
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fluff and smut. Dean, Sam, Cas, and Anna solve the asylum case, but are faced with a bigger problem when a sudden curse turns Dean and Sam into something they have never been before. Part 2 in the Stardust verse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“ _Cas_!” Dean yelled into the dark room, and he heard Cas give a quick answer. “Listen to me. Come here to my voice and put your back against mine. That way we won’t shoot each other.”

Dean felt Cas lean against his back, and a sense of calm rushed through him. He could do this. As long as he had Cas, he could do anything. He felt something pressed into his hand from Cas.

“What’s that?” he asked, the flickering ghosts advancing slowly. Dean knew the only reason they weren’t dead already was because the ghosts were enjoying the chase.

“Salt. Make the circle, my hands are shaking,” Cas said.

Dean quickly spread a salt circle around them, and the ghosts halted, anger covering their gashed faces.

“It’s okay, Cas. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about,” Cas said, giving Dean’s arm a squeeze, and Dean smiled despite the situation.

“Ah hell, baby, we’ve been in worse,” Dean said. “What’s that sound?”

A strange humming noise had begun in the room, and the flickering of the ghosts intensified. Their mouths were moving, and Dean recognized Latin.

“What the hell,” he said, as the salt ring around him and Cas began to blow in an unseen wind. “Get ready, Cas baby.”

He felt Cas stiffen next to him, raising his salt gun. Without a word, he and Dean began firing.

*

Anna and Cas made it to the asylum in record time, quickly paying the cabbie and running inside. They had just made it in the door when Sam heard shots.

“ _Dean!_ ” he yelled, and he and Anna ran toward the sound.

They rounded a corner, and saw an office door was shut. The sounds were coming from inside. Sam twisted the handle but it didn’t turn. He banged on the door.

“Dean! Are you okay?” he yelled.

“Kind of busy, Sam! Get the door open!” Dean yelled back.

“I can’t, it’s locked tight. What are you fighting?” Sam asked loudly, hearing scuffles and gunshots, as well as some strange voices.

“Dammit, Sam, I can’t talk! It’s four ghosts who know Latin,” Dean said, grunting as he was pushed back against a wall and his shotgun torn from his hands.

“Latin?” Sam asked, confused, but suddenly Anna understood.

Anna strode to the door quickly, at the same time as Cas was overcome by a ghost inside. He was shoved to the ground, but heard Anna’s voice on the other side of the door.

“Et vade, aculeus tuus. Aperiesque ostium.”

The ghosts inside vanished at once, and the door flew open. Sam and Anna ran in to find Dean and Cas scratched and bruised, but thankfully alive.

“Come on, we have to go. Now,” Anna said, heaving Dean to his feet as Sam grabbed Cas.

They nearly ran out of the building, Anna looking behind them every step of the way. They got into the car, and Sam volunteered to drive.

“I’m not dead, Sam. Get in, I’m driving.”

“What did you say?” Sam asked Anna when they were back on the road.

“Latin. Dean said the ghosts were speaking Latin, and it made me think maybe we were dealing with ghosts of witches,” Anna said.

“Awesome. Two of my favorite things in one,” Dean grumbled.

“Yeah, well, that must be what it is, because the Latin worked. But what are witches doing at an asylum?” Sam asked.

“We need more research. Until we know exactly who we’re dealing with, we aren’t going back in that hospital,” Dean said, pulling the car into the parking lot, and Sam and Anna climbed out. “Come on, Cas.”

But Cas didn’t even try to get up. Instead he clutched his right side.

“I-I don’t think I can,” he said, and lay his head back against the seat.

Dean was out of the car and to Cas’ side before he could even get a sentence out. He took in the sight of Cas’ bloodied coat, which Cas had his hand pressed to.

“Damn, Cas,” he said, lifting him out of the car and into his arms. He took him to their room and lay him on the bed.

“What’s happened?” Anna asked suddenly, coming to his side.

“One of them pulled at me. I thought it was just a scratch,” Cas said, laying his head back on the pillows, his face pale.

Dean pulled Cas’ hand aside to reveal deep gashes in the material of his clothes. He lifted them off to see a deep wound on Cas’ side. Thick blood was leaking from it.

“Sam-,” Dean managed to get out, and Sam looked at the wound closer.

“It’s deep, but it doesn’t look like it went deep enough to hit anything serious. We could take him to the hospital,” Sam said, but Cas interrupted.

“No,” he said, and Dean turned to face him. “If Sam says it’s not serious, I trust him. I don’t want to go to the hospital.”

Dean glanced at his brother, who nodded in agreement that Cas would be fine.

“Okay, Cas, you don’t want to go, you don’t have to,” Sam glanced at his watch. “The library is still open. We need some more information…Anna, you want to go?”

Anna nodded, finally tearing her eyes from Cas.

“Yes, let’s find out who these women are.”

“We’ll be back soon. Call if you need anything,” Sam said, and they left.

Dean rose immediately to open his duffel bag, bringing out the medical supplies they always carried.

“Cas baby, this is going to hurt. But I have no choice,” Dean said, producing a bottle of alcohol, a needle, thread, and some bandages.

“I understand,” Cas said, and Dean was startled to see the bravery in Cas’ pale eyes.

Dean sat next to Cas on the bed, and leaned forward to give him a quick kiss.

“I’ll make it as quick as I can. Ready?” he asked.

“Yes,” Cas said, squeezing Dean’s arm slightly.

Dean nodded, and opened the alcohol. He hesitated for a moment, knowing how badly this hurt, but looked at Cas’ determined face. He turned the bottle up, pouring the liquid over the wound. Cas clamped his jaw shut and briefly closed his eyes, but made no sound. Dean threaded the needle with the thick thread, then doused the entire thing in alcohol to sanitize it as well.

He pressed the needle to Cas’ smooth skin, and punctured it. Cas gave a small grunt, but didn’t make any indication of pain other than that. Dean worked quickly and skillfully, closing the wound with twenty five stitches. He then took the bandages and wrapped them over the area carefully, trying to keep Cas from hurting any more than he already had.

Dean sat up, rather pale in the face, and started cleaning up the supplies. Cas breathed a small sigh of relief, and Dean offered him a small pill.

“It’s a pain pill,” he said, noticing Cas’ confusion. “It will help you sleep.”

“I don’t need medicine for something as minor as this,” Cas said, confused.

“I just gave you stitches. That isn’t minor.”

“It is for me,” Cas replied, and Dean knew it to be true.

“But you’re human now. You could get an infection, or hurt so bad you can’t sleep,” Dean said in a worried tone, but Cas clasped his hand tightly on Dean’s.

“It is sweet you’re worried. But as long as I have you, Dean, I know everything will be fine.”

It was late in the evening before Anna and Sam returned back to the hotel, and Dean was surprised to find Sam had checked out another room.

“Why did you do that?” Dean asked, confused.

“We figured Cas could use a night to recover with just you. We got the room next door,” Anna said, walking over to check on the dozing man.

“I think that may be for the best,” Dean said, glancing back at Cas. “Did you find out anything about the witches?”

“Actually, yeah. I mean, the papers didn’t come right out and call them witches, but apparently four women were caught stealing body parts from the asylum. The news just thought it was some kind of hippie devil worship stuff,” Sam said, pulling out a scanned copy of a newspaper.

“So what, they needed the parts for some ritual?” Dean asked.

“More than likely. And you’ll never guess who caught them at it,” Sam said.

“Our friendly ghost doctor?”

“Bingo. The thing is, after they were fired, Dr. Vancouver suffered a massive heart attack in his office. But he was ridiculously healthy. He ran every day, and never ate fast food or anything,” Sam frowned.

“Sounds like a real fun guy. You sure you two aren’t related?” Dean tilted his head.

“Funny. Look, he died in a suspicious way, right after catching these witches. But then, the witches started dying,” Sam said.

“What?” Dean asked.

“I know, it’s so strange. But one after the other, they started dying in weird ways. Like, this first one…she drowned,” Sam said, showing Dean the paper.

“So?” Dean asked.

“In her kitchen sink.”

“Yeah…that’s a little off. What about the others?” Dean said, studying the paper.

“One was roller skating, and rolled off the rink and into a pinball machine, stabbing herself in the eye and straight into her brain. Another fell off a two foot tall ladder while she changed a light bulb, cutting open a major artery on the glass and bleeding out. And the last one was killed when she got locked out of her car in a thunderstorm and was struck by lightning…four times.”

“Damn,” Dean said. “That’s some serious bad luck.”

“I think it’s more than that,” Anna said, joining them after she had assured herself that Cas was still in one piece. “We know how these satanic deals work. You don’t get off easy. These girls probably called in some super strong powers to kill the doctor, and the demons took their lives as payment.”

“Then why are they ghosts and not in hell?” Dean asked.

“I can’t say. Maybe being stuck in that hospital for all eternity is their version of hell, especially if they have to share the space with the doctor they murdered,” Anna said, and she yawned widely.

“It’s getting late. We’ll turn in for the night, and I’ll figure out where they buried the women. Come on, Anna,” Sam said, taking her hand and heading for the door. “See you in the morning, guys. ‘Night.”

Dean told them goodnight and quietly closed the hotel door, turning back to see Cas had been awakened by the small sound.

“You’re a light sleeper, you know that?” Dean said.

“I think it is where I never had to sleep as an angel. I get woken up by the smallest sounds. I heard Sam and Anna talking, and I think Anna is right,” Cas said.

“You think the witches made a deal? When will people learn? Do you have any idea how much easier our job would be if people would just stop asking for evil in their lives?”

“Not everyone has the benefit, or curse depending on how you look at it, of the knowledge you and Sam possess,” Cas reminded him.

“That’s true. How are you feeling? Any better?” Dean said, crossing the room to sit on the side of Cas’ bed.

“It still hurts,” Cas said honestly, and Dean sighed.

“I know, baby. And it will for a while. Humans don’t heal like angels do. Our bodies need time to heal themselves. Call it slow-motion mojo,” Dean grinned.

“It’s quite frustrating,” Cas said, wiggling uncomfortably.

“Here,” Dean said, producing the pain pill from earlier in the evening. “Take this, and it will help you feel better.”

Cas eyed the pill suspiciously, but his side gave another sharp twinge of pain. He steeled himself, and popped the pain medicine into his mouth, swallowing quickly. He twisted his body and winced as pain shot through him.

“It didn’t work,” he said, and Dean laughed.

“It doesn’t do anything that fast. Jesus, we’d have to get you an I.V. of morphine for that kind of relief. No, just give it time. Your body has to absorb it.”

Cas nodded sullenly. Humans really did get the short end of healing. Everything takes time and everything hurts. 

“Cas? You okay?” Dean asked, all traces of laughter gone from his face.

“I am fine, Dean. Or, I will be.”

“Good. Let’s watch some bad t.v. and just be normal for a night, what do you say?” Dean asked.

“I say find me something terrible.”

Dean grinned and plopped into bed next to Cas, his head on the pillow next to him. He clicked through the channels until he came to the Jerry Springer show. Five minutes in, a woman was arguing with a rather ugly man over whether or not he was the father of her baby. Suddenly, her husband stepped out from behind the curtain, furious at her betrayal.

“I don’t understand,” Cas said, tilting his head characteristically. “Why do they care who the father is?”

“What do you mean? I don’t think I’d want him as my dad either,” Dean said.

“Well, they have a baby. And the husband has raised it. So why does it matter?” Cas asked.

“Because, Cas, kids want to know who their dad is,” Dean answered.

“I don’t see how it matters who donates the sperm. A real dad is the person who raises the child, not the person who produces it.”

Dean felt his heart jump to his throat.

“You’re-you’re right, Cas,” he said, squeezing the man’s hand. “Who cares who made the kid? The real dad is the one who teaches him how to ride a bike, or play catch…or work on old cars.”

Cas nodded sleepily, his head dropping back onto the pillows as Dean spoke.

“I mean, sure, your father brings you into this world. He may even raise you for a while, until everything goes to shit. Then he-he changes. He becomes this dark figure, menacing, you know? One who molds you into a perfect little soldier, childhood be damned. He forces things on you that no kid should ever have to know about. I mean, really, what kind of six year old can shoot a .22? And he puts the weight of the world, and the weight of your brother, on your shoulders.”

Dean brushed at a tear angrily.

“And you have to protect your brother, because you know damn well your father isn’t going to. You have to shelter him from the world, because he’s just…he’s so good, and innocent. And you’d do anything to save that innocence. So you push aside your own needs because that’s what your father said you should do…but then he drops you off at this old drunk’s house,” Dean gave a small laugh. “And that drunk, he teaches you things that your father was supposed to do, and never got around to it. He takes you in, and he makes you his own. He protects you, and he-he loves you, something you’ve not experienced in years…yeah, Cas, you’re right. It doesn’t matter who brought you into the world. It matters who gives a damn once you’re here.”

Dean waited for Cas to respond, but he didn’t make a sound. Dean looked at the man, and discovered the pain pill must have kicked in; he was sleeping comfortably at last. Dean smiled slightly, and moved to slide Cas’ shoes off. He adjusted the pillows, and covered Cas with the blanket to keep him warm before kissing him gently on the cheek.

“Goodnight, angel.”

*

“Wake up, sunshine!” Sam called, banging on the door early the next morning.

Dean grumbled and rolled out of bed. He had stayed up late the night before, constantly checking on Cas to make sure he wasn’t developing a fever. He padded to the door as Cas sat up in bed, stretching and wincing slightly.

“Any news?” Dean asked as he opened the door.

“Yeah. All four women are buried not too far from here in the Eddleston Cemetery,” Sam said.

“Awesome. Looks like we have a busy night ahead of us. Where’s Anna?” Dean asked.

“She’ll be back in a little bit. She said she had to run and get something,” Sam said.

Dean turned to check on Cas. He still looked pale and tired.

“Let’s go on outside,” Dean said quietly, and he closed the door behind them. “Cas still looks bad.”

“He’ll be fine, Dean. You and I have had worse than that,” Sam said.

“I know. It’s just…,” Dean trailed off.

“It’s Cas. Yeah, I get it. Believe me, I do,” Sam said.

“So…you and Anna? How’s that going?” Dean asked, and Sam broke into a genuine, wide smile.

“She’s amazing. She really is.”

“Do you love her?” Dean asked, and Sam’s mouth fell open slightly.

“Since when do you talk about feelings?” Sam asked, but a smile formed on his lips. “I like what Cas has done to you. We just met a few days ago-,”

“But do you love her? It doesn’t take long to figure out…unless you’re me and Cas, apparently,” Dean said reasonably.

“I-I think I’m falling in love with her, yeah. She’s everything I’ve looked for since Jess, you know? There’s just something about her.”

“Hey, boys,” Anna said, rounding the corner with a bag in one hand and a tray of coffee in the other. “How about some breakfast?”

Sam jumped as Anna came closer, and shot Dean a look that clearly meant their conversation was to be kept a secret.

“Thanks, Anna. Yeah, go on in the room,” Dean said, and he held the door open for her so she could walk in, though he closed it behind her. “This discussion isn’t over, Sammy. Talk to me.”

Anna sat the food on the table and went immediately to Cas’ side. Cas opened his eyes and blinked a few times.

“How are you feeling?” Anna asked, brushing Cas’ hair off his forehead.

“Like someone stabbed me in the side,” Cas laughed. “Why are you so worried about me? I’ll be fine.”

“Because you can die now, Castiel. I have never had to worry about that before, and it scares me,” Anna said.

“And you’re scared that you can die too?” Cas asked, but Anna shook her head.

“Not particularly. I know where I go when I die. I’m scared of the emotion of losing someone I care about.”

“You’re worried about Sam,” Cas said, and Anna nodded quietly.

Cas sat up in the bed, wincing much less than he did the day before, and took Anna’s hand in his.

“Emotions are part of the human experience. Some are terrifying. Fear, loss, hate. But some are wonderful. In my years of observing humans, I have discovered that the awful emotions they-we feel are accepted, as long as enough good ones go with it. You have something good with Sam. Don’t let the fear of losing anyone lessen that emotion.”

Anna nodded, surprised to feel tears in her eyes. She leaned forward and kissed Cas gently on his cheek, pulling back when she heard the door open and the Winchester brothers come inside.

Dean paused to take in the scene. Was Anna kissing Cas? He shook his head, and went about opening the bag and handing out their greasy breakfast.

“Cas, you stay there,” Dean said, noticing Cas trying to get out of the bed. “You can eat in bed.”

“I’m fine, Dean,” Cas said, rolling his eyes. “I feel much better today.”

As if proving his point, Cas swung his legs off the bed and walked to the small table, grabbing a sausage biscuit and sitting in one of the rickety chairs in a stiff way. Anna took a seat on his other side, and Dean felt a strange emotion welling in his chest. He sat next to Cas at the round table, sliding his chair close enough for their knees to touch, and glanced at Anna in an accusatory way. Sam cut his eyes across the table at Dean, and a strained silence filled the room.

“So,” Sam said, in an attempt to defuse the situation. “A nice romantic date to the cemetery tonight, huh? Should be fun.”

No one made any attempt to speak, but Sam pressed on.

“Four witches…I figure Anna and I can take two, and Dean and Cas, you get the other two.”

“You sure, Sammy?” Dean said, trying to keep the new emotion out of his voice. “I think Cas and Anna could handle digging up two people alone. You and I can pair up.”

Cas and Anna shot Dean a confused look.

“I’m-I’m sure they could, if they had to-,” Sam said.

“Awesome. Then it’s you and me tonight, Sam,” Dean said, stuffing the last of his sandwich in his mouth and heading for the door.

“Where are you going?” Sam asked.

“To the library. Research. Why don’t you come with me?” Dean asked Sam, and Cas looked surprised.

“I can handle going to the library. I’m not that sore,” Cas said, but Dean shook his head.

“No, you stay here. Come on, Sam,” Dean said, and Sam rose to hit feet to follow his brother outside.

Sam closed the door behind them, and Dean dug his keys out of his jeans. They clambered into the Impala, and Dean drove out onto the road.

“You’ll have to tell me how to get there,” he said.

“Take a left…Dean, what the hell was that about?” Sam asked.

“What was what about?”

“Leaving Anna and Cas. Acting weird, even for you,” Sam said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Which way at the stop sign?” Dean asked.

“Right, then drive about five miles. What’s going on?” Sam pressed on.

Dean sighed. It was bad enough he’d seen Cas that close with someone else. But he couldn’t tell Sam the girl he was falling in love with had kissed his brother’s boyfriend. He cringed. Damn that word. 

“It’s nothing, Sammy, really. I just wanted some time with you, is that a crime?” Dean asked, and Sam knew better than to push any farther.

“Yeah, sure,” Sam said.

The rest of the ride was quiet. Dean was lost in thought. Maybe he’d imagined it? No, Anna had definitely been leaning back from kissing Cas. Did Cas have feelings for Anna? It made sense, Dean realized. She was gorgeous, and understood what it meant to be a fallen angel. How could he compare to that? He’d just have to tell Cas it was fine. He wanted what was best for him. He loved him, didn’t he? Right. He loved Cas. And if Cas was happier with someone else…well, he wanted that for him. Besides, since when did happy endings ever happen for a Winchester? Sam would understand that.

“Dean? Dean!” Sam was yelling from the seat next to him. “Are you going to get out of the car, or just stare into space all day?”

“Yeah, I’m coming,” Dean said, swinging his legs out of the car and feeling heavier than he thought he ever had.

Dean and Sam researched at the library until late that afternoon, when Sam finally admitted he was starving.

“Yeah, let’s go grab a burger,” Dean said, briefly wondering if Cas and Anna had eaten anything. Hell, Cas had been human before. He knew he had to eat, and Anna too…he could take care of himself.

Still, Dean couldn’t help but check his phone for a message from Cas when he and Sam climbed back into the Impala.

“So…that was wasted time. We didn’t learn anything about them we didn’t already know,” Sam said, and Dean hurriedly shoved his phone into his back pocket. “Are you going to tell me why we ran off and left Cas and Anna alone yet?”

“Look, man, I don’t want to talk about it,” Dean said.

“Yeah? Well, I do. Cas and Anna are important to me,” Sam said, and Dean put the Impala into park and turned to face his brother.

“Like they aren’t to me? Hell, it’s taken me years to understand what Cas means to me. And Anna? She saved my life in Hell. I can’t thank her enough,” Dean said.

“Then what the hell were you doing this morning? Ignoring Cas, looking pissed at Anna?” Sam asked, confused.

“I just…look, when we came back in the room, Anna was kissing Cas,” Dean let the announcement hang in the air, fearing he had broken his brother’s heart.

“You saw them?” Sam asked finally.

“No,” Dean said.

“Then how-?”

“I know what it looks like when you kiss someone. Anna was pulling back from Cas,” Dean said.

“You didn’t actually see anything, Dean. Oh my God, are you _jealous_?” Sam asked, with a smile.

“No,” Dean said far too quickly, and realized it was true. “I know what I am, Sammy. I’m a human, and a damned broken one at that. Compare me to Anna. Anna knows what Cas has been through. She’s lived it. How do I compare to that?”

“Cas loves you. And you love him. You have to get over this ‘feeling unworthy’ crap. You’ve always done that. I know Dad did it to you-,”

“We are not talking about that right now,” Dean said firmly.

“Yeah, fine. Just talk to Cas, okay?” Sam asked, and Dean nodded before throwing the car into reverse to find some food.

*

Cas hung up the phone. He felt slightly guilty for listening to Dean’s conversation, but he hadn’t been able to help it once he’d heard his name. He assumed Dean must have accidentally “butt dialed” him.

“Everything okay?” Anna asked, digging into her ordered Chinese food.

“No, I don’t think so,” Cas said, and Anna’s fork froze. 

“What has happened?” she said.

“The boys are fine,” Cas said, and Anna visibly relaxed. “But I overheard Dean and Sam talking. Dean seems to think you kissed me.”

“I did,” Anna said, blinking. “On the cheek, remember?”

“Yes, but Dean seems to think it was romantic, not platonic,” Cas said, frowning.

“He’s jealous?” Anna said, and laughed. “Castiel, that is adorable. We’ll just have to explain, that’s all. What did he say?”

“He-he said that he couldn’t compare to you,” Cas said, and Anna gave a slight smile.

“I don’t know if I should feel flattered or upset he thinks so little of himself. Was Sam upset?” she asked.

“No, he didn’t seem to think it was anything other than a misunderstanding.”

“At least I’m dating the level-headed brother,” Anna said, and she ate her dumpling with a smirk.

*

Dean and Sam pulled into the hotel parking lot at dusk. They checked their trunk, making sure they had salt and all the other necessities for burning a body. Sam went to get Cas and Anna as Dean did a final check.

“You two ready for this?” Dean heard Sam ask as they came to join him.

“How hard can it be?” Anna teased, and she and Cas climbed into the backseat.

Dean took a deep breath and climbed into the car with Sam. Within minutes, they were at the cemetery.

“Anna’s with me,” Sam said as they climbed out of the car, shooting Dean a defiant look.

“I thought we agreed on you and I working together,” Dean challenged, but Sam simply rolled his eyes and started grabbing tools out of the trunk. 

“Fine. C’mon, Cas,” Dean said, grabbing two shovels, salt, and lighter fluid out of the trunk.

“They weren’t all buried together. They’re kind of spaced out. Agatha is buried in section B, Lola and Millie are over in section C, and Dorothy is in E. Anna and I will take Lola and Millie,” Sam said, and they headed off in that direction.

Dean grunted a response, going the opposite direction to dig up Dorothy Walters. Cas followed along behind him in silence. When they reached Dorothy’s grave, Dean started to dig, tossing Cas the extra shovel to indicate he should as well. They worked quickly, moving the dirt at a rapid pace.

“Dean?” Cas finally asked, out of breath. 

“Yeah?” Dean answered, heaving another pile of dirt out of the fairly deep hole.

“Is-is everything okay?” 

“Sure,” Dean replied.

“Don’t lie to me, Dean. Your butt called me earlier.”

Dean had to stop digging for a moment to understand what Cas was talking about.

“You mean I butt-dialed you? When?” Dean asked.

“When you and Sam were talking,” Cas said, also pausing in his work. Dean flushed.

“So you heard our conversation? Damn, Cas, why didn’t you hang up?”

“I heard my name, and I was curious,” Cas said, tilting his head at Dean. “Now, are we going to talk?”

“That’s what we’re doing,” Dean said, resuming his work.

“You know what I mean,” Cas said, and Dean pursed his lips, working harder. “You didn’t see Anna kissing me, Dean. She was scared about her feelings of Sam. We talked, she kissed me on the cheek. As friends.”

“Uh huh. Look, I’ve got some experience, I know what I saw. She had just kissed you. Which is fine, I get it. I know I’m no match for her, believe me. And if you’re happier with her, I want that for you. You being happy is important to me.”

Cas threw his shovel down and pushed Dean against the side of the hole they were standing in. Dean dropped his shovel in surprise, hands flying out behind him to brace himself against the impact of the other man. Cas pinned Dean against the dirt wall, pressing into him.

“You listen to me, Dean Winchester. You, and only you, are what makes me happy. Look at us. We’re digging up a dead witch, standing in dirt, and I don’t want to be anywhere else. I don’t care where we are, what we’re doing, or what we’re fighting. We could be fighting Lucifer again, or running a bed and breakfast in Vermont. I don’t care. I just want you.”

He pressed his lips to Dean’s, drawing out a loud moan from deep in the man’s throat. Cas threaded his hands into Dean’s dirty blonde hair, tugging slightly, and turned his head to the side for better access. Dean was happy to let him, and he deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around Cas’ waist to feel the man he loved. Cas pushed his hips into Dean’s, reveling in the pleasure that shot through his body when he did. Dean arched his back into Cas’ touch, but a sudden sound of a passing car brought Dean back to Earth. He broke apart from Cas reluctantly, out of breath and more turned on than he should be in a graveyard.

“Damn, Cas,” he breathed, eyes searching the other man’s flushed face. “I want this, but we have work to do. Save it for the hotel later, okay baby?”

Cas registered the renewed use of his nickname, and nodded, picking up his shovel and returning to work. Dean picked up his shovel as well, though his mind was miles away, thinking about what he wanted to do to Cas in the hotel room.

Cas noticed Dean’s sense of peace return.

“Does this mean we’re better now?” Cas asked, digging in the deep brown dirt.

“Yeah, Cas baby. We’re fine.” 

Dean and Cas had burned their witches and were grabbing their shovels when Dean’s phone rang.

“Hey, Sam. You done?” Dean asked.

“Almost. We might have gotten a little…preoccupied,” Sam said guiltily.

“Aw, dude, in a graveyard? Come on, how much longer will you be?” Dean asked, running his hand over his face.

“It will be awhile. We’re just starting to dig up the second witch. You and Cas can leave if you want,” Sam said.

“And what, come and get you when you’re done? I’m not leaving you alone with a dead witch on the prowl. Just call me when you get done. I don’t want to walk in on you and Anna,” Dean said, and he ended the call.

“Are they done?” Cas asked, heaving himself out of the hole to stand beside Dean.

“Almost. Let’s go, graveyards give me the creeps,” Dean said, setting out toward the car. He could wait there for Sam and Anna.

“Why?” Cas asked.

“Dead people. Everywhere.”

“Technically, no, their bodies are here. They are gone, Dean. Come here,” Cas said, and he pulled Dean by the hand until they reached two headstones. “Sit.”

“Are you out of your damn mind? I’m not sitting on someone’s head!” Dean said, pulling away.

Cas took a seat in front of one of the headstones, and gently patted the grass next to him in front of the other. Dean sighed. If it was anyone else, he’d demand to leave right away. Instead, he placed the shovels and other junk on the ground and gingerly sat down, keeping his body rigid.

“They can’t feel you,” Cas said with a small smirk. “Look at their names.”

Dean turned slightly and read the name off the stone behind him.

“Louise May Thompson,” he said, and looked at the name on Cas’. “Edward Michael Thompson.”

Their stones had other information on them. The words mother and father were written in block script, common for the day, as both had died in the 1860s. 

“They died within a few weeks of each other,” Cas noted, and Dean was struck by how easily he spoke of the two people laying underneath of them. “But we see that in Heaven often.”

“See what?” Dean asked.

“Two people who are truly in love die within a short amount of time from each other. One can’t bear to live without the other. So they die, and come to Heaven,” Cas said, smiling.

“I thought every person gets their own Heaven. Won’t they be lonely?” Dean asked.

“Oh, some people do get their own personal Heavens. But soul mates are different,” Cas said, and Dean laughed loudly. “Did I say something funny?”

“Just soulmates. I mean, there isn’t such a thing.”

“Of course there is. When my Father creates beings, he does so in pairs. Each pair is created with the same stardust. They are linked for eternity. Now, whether they find their match on Earth is entirely up to fate. If they happen to do so, they will never have to be parted in Heaven. They are the same being, just split into two halves,” Cas said.

“Awesome. So I’m made up of stars,” Dean said, rolling his eyes.

“Every creature my Father creates is made of stars,” Cas said, squeezing Dean’s hand. “Well, not demons or monsters, of course. That’s why I love humanity. You’re all so beautiful, so precious, but you act like you aren’t. If you only knew what you were made of, the things Heaven has done for you, maybe you would start to believe in yourselves more.”

Dean felt himself relax at the touch of Cas’ hand. He leaned back against the headstone, looking at the scenery around him. It was quiet, warm, serene. He could see the stars every so often, when the low hanging clouds would part to allow it. Maybe graveyards weren’t so bad after all. Dean turned his head to look at Cas, who was gazing up into the sky, a peaceful look on his face. Cas saw Dean watching out of the corner of his eye.

“You think I’m crazy,” Cas said, frowning slightly.

“No. Well, yeah, maybe a little,” Dean admitted, and he moved closer to Cas. “But you know, humans aren’t the only beings who don’t admit how special they are. I happen to know a fallen angel who does that too.”

Cas grinned, and leaned down to capture Dean’s smiling lips in a kiss. He ran his fingers through Dean’s hair, feeling the softness, and the sweat still lingering from digging the holes. Dean broke away quickly.

“What’s wrong?” Cas asked.

“How do you think Louise and Edward would feel about two people making out on top of them?” Dean asked in an uncomfortable voice.

“I think,” Cas said, leaning in again and peppering kisses down Dean’s neck, “that they were so in love, they would be happy to see us touching at all.”

Dean scooted closer to Cas, their thighs touching. Cas couldn’t stand even that small amount of distance, and crawled into Dean’s lap, kissing him playfully on his freckled nose, then on his cheeks, eyebrows, forehead, and anywhere else he could reach. He bent down and kissed Dean on his lips, sighing against them as Dean opened them to allow for more access. Dean kissed Cas deeply, and any hesitations he had disappeared. 

Dean snaked his arms up under Cas’ shirt, scraping his blunt fingernails on the soft skin he found there. Cas moaned slightly into Dean’s mouth, which sent a pleasant sizzle of heat straight to Dean’s groin. Dean wanted to hear that sound again; he moved his hands to Cas’ front, smoothing them over the tan muscles he found. Cas made the sound again, this time accompanied by an involuntary thrust of his hips. Dean gave a thrust back, and Cas came off of Dean’s mouth, working kisses and nibbles down the side of Dean’s face and into the crook of his neck. 

Cas knew what he was doing to Dean, who let his head fall back against the gravestone, a moan escaping his lips. Cas pulled at Dean’s jeans, unbuttoning them before sliding down the zipper. He gave them a small tug, breaking away from his kisses long enough to see what he was doing, and quickly pulled Dean’s boxers down as well, allowing Dean’s erection to break free of the cotton garments. 

Cas leaned forward again to kiss Dean, his hand closing around Dean’s cock, moving up and down in a tortuously slow rhythm. As his hand would reach the top, he’d swipe the pad of his thumb over the slit, pulling the leaking precome down Dean’s shaft.

“Cas,” Dean said breathlessly, taking in the feelings and loving every second of it.

Cas caught Dean’s eyes, and slid down his body, coming to a stop at his dick. With a wicked glint in his eyes, Cas took Dean into his mouth and immediately thrust him all the way to the back of his throat. Dean gave a garbled moan, curling his toes at the feeling. Cas pulled off again, back to the very tip, and swirled his tongue around before quickly pushing all the way down again. He picked up the pace, causing Dean to thrust into his mouth and pant heavily.

Cas kept his eyes on Dean, soaking up the reactions, the sounds and the movements of the man. Dean found himself unable to look away from Cas’ blue eyes. He didn’t think he’d ever seen anything sexier than those big, blue eyes staring at him as the fallen angel took him deep into his throat repeatedly. Cas moved one hand up to cup Dean’s balls, giving a small tug and humming deep in his throat.

“Ah-Cas, I-I’m gonna, uhm,” Dean said, making no sense at all and thrusting wildly into Cas’ mouth.

Cas gave a small wink, then shoved Dean’s cock deeper in his mouth than he ever had before. When he was all the way to the base, he moaned loudly around it. The feeling threw Dean over the edge, and he was coming instantly. He gripped his hands in Cas’ hair tightly, eyes still locked on him, and rode out his climax as long as he could. When he finally stopped moving, Cas sat up and swallowed quickly.

Dean reached for Cas, wanting to return the favor, but a vibration in his jeans startled him. It was his phone. He fished it out of the pocket, and saw his brother’s name flashing up.

“Yeah?” he answered, trying to sound normal as he could.

“Hey, we’re done here. Ready to head back to the car?” Sam asked, and Dean looked at Cas guiltily. Cas nodded.

“Sure. We’ll meet you there.”

He hung up the phone and stuffed it back into his pocket. Dean stood, pulling his clothes back up, and felt how wobbly his legs were. Cas stood and walked toward the shovels, but Dean grabbed him by his hand and pulled him into a long kiss. He tasted like Dean’s come, but also sweet and soft, and something decidedly Cas.

“This isn’t over, baby. When we get back to the room, it’s your turn,” Dean said, and he picked up the shovels and materials off the ground before leading the way back to the car.

Cas felt his pulse quicken.

“I can’t wait.”


	2. Chapter 2

Dean and Cas met up with Anna and Sam at the car, and threw their stuff into the trunk unceremoniously. They climbed into the car, Sam and Anna taking the backseat, and Dean tried to ignore the way Anna’s hair was messed up, with bits of dirt clinging to it, and the guilty way Sam would meet his eyes in the mirror. Dean turned the radio up and drove the few miles to their hotel. 

When the group returned, Anna mentioned needing a shower and quickly left to go to her room. Sam made to follow, avoiding Dean’s gaze, but Dean grabbed his shoulder.

“Wait a second,” he said, before turning to Cas. “Can you give us a minute, Cas?”

“Of course,” Cas said, and he left for their room.

“Look, Dean, I’m sorry. I know I should have been paying more attention to the job-,” Sam began, but Dean cut him off.

“Screw that. I’m not mad. If we had been somewhere dangerous, yeah, I’d be pissed,” Dean said. “You and Anna, you’ve got something. So quit apologizing for it.”

“Sure, yeah,” Sam said, his hand edging toward his pocket. Quick as a flash, he had unscrewed the top of a flask and sprayed Dean in the face with holy water.

“What the hell, man?” Dean said, sputtering and wiping his face on his sleeve.

“Sorry. I haven’t gotten used to this kind of talk with you yet. I assumed the worst,” Sam said, capping the flask and returning it to his pocket.

“No shit,” Dean said flatly, and Sam offered a grimace of a smile. 

“Love looks good on you, Dean,” Sam said seriously.

“Ah, don’t start that emotional crap. Go on, go back to Anna. See you in the morning,” Dean said, and patted Sam on the shoulder as he left to go back to his own room.  
Dean opened the door to the dark room, surprised to see Cas sitting on the bed with just the tv on. 

“What are you watching?” Dean asked, sitting down next to him.

“A documentary on the Mars Rover,” Cas said. “The things human have done…it’s amazing.”

Cas’ voice had a hint of pride to it, like a father would think of his son. Dean realized that Cas truly did love humanity, and it made him inexplicably happy. He ran his hands through his hair, feeling tiny clumps of dirt, and he prayed nothing more.

“I need a shower,” Dean said, and Cas nodded as Dean rose to go to the bathroom.

Dean turned the water on and shed his clothing as he waited for it to heat up. He examined his face in the mirror; no new scratches, though he did have a bruise from the witch throwing him against the ground back at the mental hospital. He climbed into the shower, grunting slightly as the heat warmed his aching muscles. Glancing down, he saw the water running brown and realized he must have been absolutely filthy. He grabbed some shampoo and squirted it into his hands before lathering his hair and dunking his head under the flowing water. He didn’t hear Cas come in.

“Am I that dirty?” Cas asked, and Dean jerked his head out of the water at the sound. He looked Cas over.

“Yeah, you kind of are. You’re going to need a shower too,” Dean said.

With that, Cas began to step out of his clothes, dropping them on top of Dean’s in the corner of the bathroom. Dean continued to wash off, unable to look away. Cas slipped out of his boxers, and opened the glass door of the shower to step in with Dean. The shower was cramped, hot, and steamy, and damn if Dean didn’t love it. 

Cas stepped into the shower stream with Dean, and began to wash off as well, grabbing the same bottle of shampoo and washing off quickly. Dean patiently waited for him to be finished, but it was difficult. Cas ran his calloused hands over his body, scrubbing with soap and rinsing the suds off. When he was finally clean, he stood in the water and felt the heat soothe his soreness.

“All clean?” Dean asked, and Cas nodded. “Good.”

He pinned Cas against the wall, kissing every inch he could reach. Cas tasted clean and fresh, and Dean couldn’t get enough. He dragged his hands down Cas’ torso, feeling the muscles clenching underneath the skin, and grasped onto Cas’ dick. Cas moaned and arched into Dean’s touch, his head falling back against the shower tiles. Dean reached his other hand up to grab onto the bottle of shampoo. He released his hold on Cas just long enough to squirt some in his hand, then returned to kissing Cas deeply.

He moved his hand back onto Cas’ hard cock, and began to pump swiftly, the shampoo making everything slick and wet.

“Dean,” Cas breathed, his eyes clenched shut in pleasure.

Dean increased the rhythm, until Cas was thrusting hard into his hand. He backed off, allowing the shower to rinse the shampoo off of Cas. He noticed the water was starting to turn cold.

“We’re running out of hot water,” Dean said, but he had barely gotten the sentence out when Cas shoved open the shower door, and pushed him out of it. 

Cas kissed Dean fiercely, walking him backwards the entire time, hands running over his body and through his sopping wet hair. Finally, the back of Dean’s knees felt the bed, and Cas gave him a shove onto it. He climbed on top of Dean right away, thrusting their wet dicks together, slipping and sliding against one another. Dean moaned loudly, his head falling back, and Cas leaned forward to nibble on the space right under his ear. 

Dean grasped Cas by the hips and flipped him down onto the bed instead. He took both of their dicks in his hand, and started to rub up and down, using their beading precome as lubricant. Cas’ eyes grew wide. They’d never done this before, but he knew he loved it.

“Ah, fuck baby, that feels so good,” Dean grunted, and Cas gave a thrust underneath of him, moaning. “You like dirty talk? Mmm, I can do better.”

Dean worked his hands over their dicks, and leaned in closer to Cas.

“I love when you do dirty things, Cas. It feels so good when you have my dick in your mouth, so hot and wet. Mmm…but I like doing things to you more. Those sounds you make when my cock is pushing into you…how tight you feel when I start to move, how good it feels to watch your face as you come…the way it feels when I come inside you…”

Cas writhed on the bed underneath Dean. He gasped for air, clutching at the sheets under him, wanting more.  
“Dean…Dean, please…”

“What do you want?” Dean asked, and squeezed slightly on their cocks as he moved his hand.

“Ah…you know…” Cas breathed.

“I have to hear it, baby,” Dean grunted.

“Mmm…f-fuck me,” Cas said quietly.

“What was that?” Dean asked, and he picked up the speed of his hand.

“ _Fuck me!_ ” Cas said loudly, and Dean grinned.

He reached to the bedside for some lube, and squirted some on his fingers and dick, before slowly pushing one digit into Cas’ hole. He pumped it for a moment, drawing unholy sounds out of Cas’ mouth, before adding another. Cas groaned slightly, and Dean was momentarily afraid he had gone too fast, but those fears vanished as Cas moved his hips slightly, fucking himself on Dean’s fingers. Dean scissored his fingers before adding a third, brushing them around inside. He felt the small bundle of nerves, and Cas thrust suddenly.

“Please, now, Dean,” he begged, and Dean removed his fingers right away, pressing the head of his cock at Cas’ entrance. 

Dean slowly pressed in, feeling the tightness surround him, until he was fully sheathed in Cas. He started to move, slowly at first, but quickly building speed as he became unable to hold himself back.

“Mmm, Cas,” he moaned, grasping the man’s dick in his hand and working his hand up and down. Cas gave a loud, throaty moan, his hands grasping Dean’s hips and his fingers digging in.

“You’re so tight…so fucking tight. Ah, yeah, Cas baby…feels so good,” Dean slurred, his voice turning Cas on more than he thought it would. 

Dean’s hand worked fast, his dick pounding into Cas hard at the same time, and Dean could feel a heat begin to grow in his lower stomach. Cas was falling to pieces beneath him, and Dean was pleased that it was his actions and words making it happen. He wanted Cas to come at the same time as he did, to see that look of pure ecstasy on his face. He thrust harder.

“Come for me Cas,” Dean moaned, and Cas gripped at the sheets tighter. “I want to see you explode all over yourself. I want to see you covered in your hot, sticky come. Say my name, baby.”

“Umh…Dean… _Dean!_ ” Cas yelled, and he came hard, hot liquid shooting everywhere.

Dean fell apart at the sound of his name yelled out so gravelly, _needy_ , by Cas. Suddenly he was coming too at the same time as Cas, thrusting hard into him and feeling Cas’ walls constrict with his own orgasm. They rode out the waves of pleasure together, finally collapsing on the bed in a sweaty heap.

They laid there, breathing heavily for a moment, coming down from their highs.

“Cas,” Dean finally breathed, reaching for his hand and grasping it tightly. “You are the sexiest thing I have ever seen.”

Cas grinned widely, squeezing his hand, feeling at peace with the world.

“I love you,” Cas said, and Dean pulled his hand up to his mouth to give it a gentle kiss.

“I love you too.”

The pair laid in silence, listening to the sounds of whatever was on the tv, and of falling water. Dean rose from the bed.

“Shit. We never turned off the shower.”

Dean reluctantly climbed back out of the bed to turn off the shower. When he came back into the room, he saw Cas sitting up on the edge of the bed, fumbling to get something around his neck.

“Can you help me with this? I don’t wear it in the shower,” Cas said, and Dean realized it was the angel wing necklace he had given Cas during his last few moments as an angel.

“Yeah, sure,” Dean said, padding over to him and clipping the two necklace sides together.

Dean’s fingers brushed over Cas’ skin on his neck, and Cas reached up to hold Dean’s hand. He noticed it was cold, and stood to pull the blankets on the bed back so they could climb in. Dean was happy to follow, pulling Cas into his arms the moment they were covered up. Cas nuzzled his head against Dean’s shoulder, breathing deeply. Soon, both men had drifted into a peaceful sleep.

“Dean?” Cas said hours later in a soft tone.

“Mmf?” Dean mumbled into his pillow.

“Okay, don’t get worried, but something is…not right,” Cas said.

That woke Dean up instantly, and he sat upright in the room, illuminated by early morning sunlight.

“What do you mean?” Dean said, his voice sounding strangely high.

He reflexively raised a hand to his throat. Instead of the usual morning stubble, he found smooth skin instead.

“What the hell?” he asked, again surprised by the pitch of his voice.

“I think you need to come look in the mirror,” Cas said, taking Dean by the hand. “But don’t panic, everything will be fine.”

He led Dean to the bathroom and flipped on the switch. Dean braced himself and looked in the mirror. He nearly yelled out when he saw his reflection.

Instead of the scruffy, short haired man he usually saw, Dean saw a woman staring back at him. He reached up to touch the long blonde waves of hair, momentarily terrified that this was his reflection. Green eyes stared back at him, as always, but now the features of his face were softer; full lips, high cheekbones, long eyelashes. And that wasn’t all. He glanced down.

“Son of a bitch. I’ve got _boobs_.” 

Cas, for his part, appeared sympathetic instead of laughing. 

“Yes, well, many women do,” Cas said, tilting his head to the side.

“No, do I have…” Dean asked, smoothing his hands down the front of his pants. “Son of a _bitch!_ ”

He walked away from the mirror, back into the room, and sat on the bed. He was vaguely aware of how big his clothes were, and how freaking small his feet were. There was a sudden loud knock on his door.

“Dean!” a voice yelled out that Dean didn’t recognize.

Cas went over to open the door, and a brunette woman walked in, clutching at clothes much, much too large for her. Her eyes met Dean’s, and she threw her head back and sighed loudly.

“Dammit, not you too.”

“Sam?” Dean asked loudly.

Sam had wavy hair like his brother, but it was brown and cut at shoulder length instead of long. He was also considerably shorter, much closer to the height of Cas than the giant he normally was.

“Of course it’s me. What the hell happened?” Sam asked, throwing himself in a chair as Anna came to the door. 

She was less successful at holding back her laughter, her shoulders shaking with the force of it. Her and Cas avoided each other’s gaze, afraid of not being able to hold back if they looked at each other.

“I have no idea. We need to call Bobby,” Dean said, rising to grab his phone and trying to keep his clothes from falling off.

He quickly punched in the number, and was relieved when Bobby answered.

“Hey, kid, how did the hunt go?” Bobby asked.

“It was fine, but we have a bigger problem,” Dean said.

“Who is this? How did you get Dean’s phone?”

“It _is_ Dean, Bobby,” he answered.

“Like hell it is,” Bobby said gruffly.

“It really is. Say hi, Cas,” Dean held the phone to Cas, who spoke quickly. “There. Believe me now?”

“What the hell? Why do you sound like you’ve been breathing helium?”

“Because…aw, hell. I’m a girl. Sam is too,” Dean said, and silence greeted him from the other side of the line. “Hello?”

Bobby suddenly laughed so loudly Dean had to hold the phone away from his ear.

“It’s not funny!” Dean yelled. “What can you do about it?”

“I-I don’t know,” Bobby said, trying to catch his breath. “What did you _do_ yesterday?”

“Salted and burned the witches we found out were haunting the asylum. Normal stuff,” Dean said.

Bobby suddenly turned serious on the phone.

“It could be…no. You wouldn’t…right?” 

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Dean said sarcastically.

“You and Sam went with Anna and Cas to the graveyard?” Bobby asked.

“Of course. Why?” Dean asked.

“Did you happen to-ah, dammit. Did you ‘do the deed’ while you were there?” Bobby asked in a rushed voice, as if saying it quickly would make it less awkward.

Dean’s face flushed, and Bobby correctly interpreted his silence.

“You boys, I swear. You can’t get it on in a graveyard without checking for hexes. Looks like you found one hell of one, too. Some graveyards are protected by old magic against people-um, ‘procreating’ in ‘em.”

“Then why the hell aren’t Anna and Cas switched up too?” Dean asked.

“Dammit boy, you have to do the whole deed. As in…finish,” Bobby said quietly.

“Are you telling me I’m cursed because I got off in a boneyard?” Dean yelled, and Sam covered his face with his hands.

“I’ll see what I can find. Until then, I picked up a case for you boys near where you’re at. Something has been attacking students at the University. Should be about an hour’s drive from you all.”

“No way I’m doing a case looking like this,” Dean said stubbornly.

“Do your job, boy, and don’t be so sexist. Having girl parts doesn’t make you any less capable as a hunter.”

“Right. Call me when you have something. And make it soon, okay?” Dean asked, and hung up the phone, sighing. “We’ve caught a case at the university.”

“And we’re going like this? I don’t think anyone is going to believe we’re agents when my clothes are dragging the ground,” Sam said, tugging at his loose pajama bottoms.

“I have clothes you can both borrow. We’ll stop and find you something on the way,” Anna said. “Come back to our room.”

They walked back to Sam and Anna’s room, and Anna began digging through her duffle bag. She pulled out two pairs of jeans, two pairs of shoes (heels for Dean, flats for Sam), two shirts, and two lacy bras. Dean’s face went red.

“A bra? You want me to wear a _bra?_ ” he stammered, and Anna grinned.

“Well, yeah, unless you want those things flapping around all day. Looks like you were cursed with some big ones,” she said, waggling her eyebrows dramatically.

“Fine,” Dean huffed, and he took the clothes from Anna, but added, “Thank you.”

Dean and Sam dressed quickly in the bathroom, avoiding each other’s gaze. They walked back into the room where Cas and Anna sat giggling on the bed.

“Wow, guys,” Anna said, laughing. “Congratulations, you’re both smoking hot.”

Dean felt his face flush, and beside him, he could see Sam arrange his features into a female version of his bitch face.

“Let’s get going. I need some clothes that fit better if we’re going to pull this off,” Dean said, walking back to his room to pack barefoot, the heels slung over his shoulder.

Cas followed, still smiling.

*

“How the hell can you stand to wear shoes like this?” Dean asked, when everyone was in the car and on the way to a clothing store.

Anna shrugged.

“You get used to it, I guess. Besides, they make my legs look amazing.”

Dean grunted a reply, and was happy when they finally made it to the shop. At least he could buy shoes without heels now.

Anna steered the group into the store and directly to the work wear. She picked out a pantsuit for Dean and Sam, and told them to go to the changing room to try them on.

“Come on, you said they’d fit. Just get them,” Dean said, annoyed.

“No, I said they’re your size. I didn’t say they’d fit,” Anna said.

“Why wouldn’t they if they’re our size?” Sam asked, and Anna looked at him regretfully.

“Women’s clothes suck. I wear three different sizes of jeans, depending on the brand, and I can wear just about every size of shirt, if they’re made a certain way. We don’t measure the same way you do. So try them on, unless you want to look unprofessional.”

Dean and Sam grumbled, and tried on the clothes, happy to find that they at least fit.

Over an hour later, they were finally ready to check out, with a cart full of clothing, shoes and even, to the boys’ embarrassment, bras and underwear.

“Well, you can hardly wear mine all the time,” Anna had pointed out, and the boys had grabbed the first things in their size they saw, eyes carefully avoiding each other.

They unloaded the cart at the cash register, then stood back to wait for their total to be added up. Cas slipped his fingers into Dean’s, giving a small squeeze, and Dean returned it. He met Cas’ gaze, and gave a small wink.

“Disgusting,” a female voice said from behind him.

Dean turned, ready to take on whatever homophobic jerkoff this happened to be, but saw the woman was looking at Sam and Anna, who had apparently just shared a kiss.

“Women shouldn’t be together like that. It’s not natural,” she said, before inclining her head toward Dean and Cas. “Look at those two. That’s how the Bible says couples should be. Not lesbians.”

Sam burst out laughing at that.

“Lady, if you only knew,” he said, and he turned back to the register to hear their total, putting his arm around Anna and squeezing.

“That will be 175.46,” the bored clerk stated, and Dean’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

Sam came forward and pulled out a Visa, paying quickly before Dean could voice his disapproval. They left, loaded down with bags.

“Are you kidding me? Jesus, we should have gone some place cheaper,” Dean said, as they walked out the doors.

“That’s the cheapest place. Women’s clothing is overpriced like you wouldn’t believe,” Anna said.

Dean threw open the trunk of this car, keeping the secret panel in place and loading the bags on top of it. Anna, Cas, and Sam climbed back into the car as he shut the trunk, and Dean had nearly made it to the driver’s door when he heard a man’s deep voice to his left.

“Damn, baby, you sure you can handle a car like that?” he said.

“Sorry?” Dean said, unsure of what he’d heard.

The man walked over toward him, standing tall and giving off a cocky attitude.

“I just asked if you could drive a car like that. It’s a man’s car, sweetheart. Big, lots of power,” he said.

Anna, Sam and Cas watched from inside the car, not sure how to proceed.

“I can handle it, buddy. I’ve been driving this car my whole life.”

The man smiled a crooked smile at Dean, and came closer.

“That’s a lot to handle. I bet if you can do that, you can handle me no problem. Want to give it a try?” he said.

“Not interested,” Dean tried to blow the man off, but he took another step to him, now so close that Dean could smell his disgusting cloud of cologne. 

“Aw, come on, don’t be like that. You’d love it,” he said, and he raised his hand to lightly caress down Dean’s arm. 

Dean gave a small, humorless laugh. Cas made to open his door, but Sam grabbed him by the arm, knowing what that laugh meant from Dean. In an instant, Dean grabbed the man’s wrist, flicking his arm around until it was pinned behind his back, and pushed it upwards painfully.

“Never, ever, touch people without permission. Got that, you dick?” Dean said, pressing the arm upwards with every word to stress his point.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” the man said, and Dean released his hold and shoved him away. 

Dean spun on his heel (a nice trick, he had to admit) and climbed into the car. Anna and Sam were laughing from the backseat, but Cas was silent. Dean backed out of the parking space and drove off.

“Aren’t you a little ball of fire?” Anna said from the backseat.

“Yeah, well, he had it coming. Douchebag. Speaking of douchebags, good work ignoring that woman in the store, Sam,” Dean said, eager to change the subject away from the fact he had just been hit on.

“Ah, who cares what other people think?” Sam asked.

“At least now you’ll get the chance to feel like Cas and I have been feeling. Welcome to the world of same sex relationships. You’d think people would find something more worthwhile to hate,” Dean said, maneuvering the car back onto the highway and heading for the new case.

As he said it, a pang of doubt shot through his new body. Would Cas be attracted to him now that he was a woman? He glanced at the man, who was characteristically staring out the window in silence. 

“I think I can handle the stares,” Sam said, clutching Anna’s hand from the backseat and smiling broadly.

“Gross,” Dean answered, and he turned the radio up to drive the rest of the way with classic rock blasting.

They pulled into the motel less than an hour later, and Sam scrambled out of the seat to get them two rooms. Dean grabbed the bags out of the trunk, and when Sam returned they went to change.

“Hey, Sam?” Dean asked through the bathroom door, struggling to get his bra on. Why the hell were these things so complicated?

“Yeah?” Sam called back.

“Dude, this is weird,” Dean said, and Sam gave a short laugh.

“Bit of an understatement, don’t you think?”

“Maybe…listen, do you feel any different?” Dean asked, his face flushing.

“Well, I have boobs and other fun bits now, so-,”

“No, man, I know that. I mean…do you think Anna feels differently toward you now that you’re a girl?”

There was a silence from the other side of the door, and Dean knew his brother was working things out.

“Cas still loves you, Dean.”

“I didn’t mention anything about me and Cas! I asked about you!” Dean said, finally buttoning the last button on his shirt and stepping out of the bathroom.

Sam was finishing his buttons as well, and slipping into a pair of flats.

“Yeah, I heard you. But since when do you ever come out and say what you really mean?”

“Shut up, Sam. Come on, let’s get to the university, and call Bobby,” Dean said, adjusting his bra for the thousandth time. “I never thought I’d say it, but I really don’t like boobs.”

Anna and Cas volunteered to stay at the motel while Dean and Sam went to interview people at the university.

“You sure you don’t want to come?” Sam asked, but Anna shook her head.

“I have, like, two seasons of Glee to catch up on. See you all in a few hours. We can go have dinner together when you get back,” Anna said, settling onto the couch with Sam’s laptop and Netflix ready to start. 

Dean and Sam left the room, hearing Anna say softly as they closed the door, “Mm, Blaine, I’d be your teenage dream any day…”

The boys pulled into the parking lot of the administrative building on campus about fifteen minutes later. Dean and Sam climbed out of the car, and closed the doors.

“Hey girls, sweet ride,” a student said, winking at them as he passed. “We should go for a drive sometime.”

“Son of a _bitch_ , do they not realize how annoying that is?” Dean asked, but Sam grinned.

“Come on, Dean, let’s go inside.”

Sam and Dean went to the front desk, and were meeting with the Chancellor in minutes.

“Come in, agents. I must say, I’m surprised this has caught the attention of the feds,” the Chancellor said, taking a seat behind her desk, and motioning for the agents to sit.

“Yes, well, we can’t be too careful. What can you tell us about the attacks?” Sam asked.

“There have been five of them. Each time, it’s a female taken, and she is always scratched with long claw marks down her body. Sort of like the animal attacks we’ve been having,” the Chancellor said.

“Animal attacks?” Dean asked.

“Oh yes. We’ve been having pets go missing around the campus from the townhouses. They are usually not found, but sometimes…bits of them are. And those pieces are covered in long claw marks. I’ve asked the faculty in the zoology department what kind of animal it could be, but they aren’t very sure. The campus is close to the woods, so our best guess is a bear. That doesn’t explain the attacks on the women though. A bear would be unlikely to let them go with just some claw marks.”

“That’s weird, alright. Have the women said anything about what they see?” Dean asked.

The Chancellor hesitated at this.

“Y-yes, but they were obviously frightened and confused after the attacks…”

“Could we speak to them?” Sam asked, and the Chancellor seemed to struggle with herself before agreeing.

“Alright. Let me give you a list of names.”

*

Sam and Dean knocked on the door of the first girl, and she opened it quickly.

“Oh, hello!” she said brightly. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, I’m agent Holmes, this is agent Darwin,” Sam said, introducing them. “We’d like to ask you some questions about your attack.”

“Sure…you want to come in?” she asked, and stood back to let the agents in.

They sat down in the living room, and the girl clasped her hands tightly in her lap.

“Angie?” Dean asked, and she smiled at him. “There isn’t anything to be afraid of. You can talk to us. What happened?”

“I was walking back to the dorms after my evening psych class, and I heard a sound over by the woods. I thought it sounded like someone was hurt, so I went to check it out. And when I got there…”

Angie stopped talking and glanced nervously up at Sam and Dean.

“I mean, I must have imagined it. I guess I saw a bear, but I was so scared I thought I saw something else,” she said.

“Please, Angie, tell us whatever you think you saw. It would really help us out,” Sam said.

“I-I thought I saw this man, but he didn’t look human. He had this crazy long hair, really dirty. And his fingers,” Angie gave a small shudder. “They were way too long to be human. The nails on them, too…they were sharp and pointy, like knives.”

Dean and Sam exchanged confused looks. They hadn’t heard of this before.

“You think I’m crazy,” Angie said, eyes downcast.

“No, not at all. Really, we’ve heard much stranger,” Sam reassured her.

“Yeah, well, just catch whatever it is. I don’t even like to walk by myself around here anymore,” Angie stood to see them out. “Thanks for listening.”

“Anytime. Here, call this number if you can think of anything else,” Sam said, handing her a card.

“Agent Sam Holmes?” Angie read off the card, looking confused.

“Yeah, short for Samantha,” Dean jumped in quickly, and they left.

An hour and a half later, Dean and Sam could tell that the same thing had attacked the other girls. The problem was they just didn’t know what it could be.

“Werewolf?” Sam asked hopefully as they made their way back to the car.

“No, they said it was a man, not an animal. And the claw marks don’t match,” Dean said. “Maybe it’s just some human freak.”

They reached the Impala and Dean unlocked his door.

“Hey there, baby,” a student’s voice said.

“Dammit, come on!” Dean said, turning to the kid.

“I wasn’t talking to you, blondie. I was talking to Miss Gorgeous here,” the kid said, walking toward Sam, whose eyes widened. “You are one good looking chick.”

“Uh, thanks?” Sam said.

“You know, I just finished up my classes for the day. Why don’t you and I go see what we can get into?” the boy said, smirking.

“No thanks, I have a girlfriend,” Sam replied without thinking.

“Oh. Oh!” the kid said, his eyes darting between Sam and Dean.

“No, _no!_ We’re not together!” Dean called, but the boy was already walking away quickly. “Shit! Get in the car, Sam.”

Dean and Sam drove back to the motel in silence, and pulled into the parking lot just as Dean’s phone rang. He threw open his door and walked back to the room, answering it as he went.

“Hey, Bobby.”

“Damn, that’s still weird as hell. Find anything?” Bobby asked.

“Yeah, all the witnesses say it was a thin man with long hair and really unnaturally long fingers. His nails were sharp too,” Dean answered.

“Huh,” Bobby said, clearly as stumped as the boys were.

“Found out anything about us yet?” Dean asked, as he and Sam opened the door to the room.

“That’s actually why I’m calling…I did some research on the curse you boys have on you.”

“And?” Dean asked, not liking the tone of voice.

“It’s temporary, and wears off on its own. It should just take a month or so.”

“A month? Dammit, Bobby, I can’t be running around with girly bits for a month!” Dean yelled.

“Don’t you dare yell at me, boy! You’re the one who couldn’t keep it in his pants in a damned graveyard! What the hell were you thinking? You’re just lucky it isn’t permanent. And you really need to get over this sexist crap you’ve got going on. I know plenty of female hunters who are just as capable as you!”

“It’s not about being a good hunter! Damn, look at Jo and Ellen! They were perfect hunters!” Dean said.

“Then what’s the problem?” Bobby asked loudly, and Dean fell silent. “Oh, hell no. I think I understand. Dean, if this is about Cas-“

“I don’t want to talk about it, Bobby,” Dean said, looking up to make sure Cas hadn’t heard anything. He was deep in conversation with Sam and Anna about the mystery creature.

“You listen here, boy, and listen good. If you’re worried, just ask Cas about it. Do you know how many of your problems would be fixed if you actually _talked_ about them? Look, Karen and I were married for a while. Not as long as I’d have liked, but long enough to learn some things. Talk to Cas. It can’t hurt.”

“Yeah, Bobby. Thanks,” Dean said in a much quieter tone.

“Anytime. Now, I’m going to hang up here and try to find out what the hell you’re dealing with. You and the rest of the gang just stay safe and have a night off together. Talk to you soon,” Bobby said, and he hung up.

Dean sighed and joined the others in their conversation.

“About time, I’m starving!” Anna said cheerfully. “I saw an ad for an Italian place down the block from here.”

“Awesome, let’s go,” Dean said.

“You aren’t wearing _that!_ Come back to my room, Dean. You’re going to look fabulous.”

“Oh, no. No, no, no,” Dean argued, but Anna had clasped his hand firmly and led him out the door. 

He cast a pleading glance at Sam, but his brother just grinned and waved him away.

“Man, I’ll replay the look on his face every day for the rest of my life!” Sam laughed, and Cas grinned widely, holding up a red dress.

“Don’t laugh yet. Anna gave me instructions to get you ‘beautiful’ as well. She gave me a bit of lesson on makeup too.”

Sam backed away from Cas, his hands up.

“Come on, Cas, don’t make me do this,” Sam said, but Cas advanced on him, holding out the dress for Sam.

“I believe you humans have a saying, ‘fair is fair’? It wouldn’t be fair to make Dean do this alone. Besides, I bet you look lovely in red.”

Sam’s face flushed, but he took the dress.

“You and Anna are enjoying this way too much,” he huffed, and set off for the bathroom to change for dinner.

“Maybe. But we’ll never get this chance again,” Cas said.

“Oh, I can freaking guarantee that. I’m wearing a chastity belt in every graveyard we go in from now on,” Sam called from the bathroom.

Cas managed a laugh at that, then went to check his own reflection in a mirror. He grabbed the clothes Anna had picked out for him off the chair, and changed quickly. Not bad, he thought. He was actually looking forward to this.

*

“Come on, Anna, is this really necessary?” Dean asked, batting away Anna’s hand as she tried to apply makeup to his face.

“Yes!” Anna said excitedly. “I haven’t had any girl friends in ages, I’m enjoying this. Besides, it will give you some appreciation of how hard girls have it.”

Dean looked at Anna’s face, alight with excitement and enthusiasm. She had saved his life, after all, and given up her grace to be with his brother. No one knew it was him under here anyway, so what did it hurt?

“Alright, just hurry,” Dean said, settling back into the seat with good patience. 

He was already dressed in a cute dress, though God knows he would stab anyone who dared suggest he’d thought it was nice at all. Anna dabbed the concealer onto his face, and Dean almost winced at the goopy feeling.

“So, how do you like it so far? I mean, being a girl and all,” Anna asked.

“It’s…well, it’s uncomfortable as hell, now that you mention it. I just want my guy parts back. This having to sit down and pee thing gets old fast.”

Anna giggled, moving on to Dean’s eye makeup, which stung and caused his eyes to water briefly.

“Yeah, Sam isn’t too happy about that either. But at least you two are hot. Maybe it’s ‘cause you were good looking men already?” Anna asked.

“Thanks…listen, Anna, do you mind that Sam is a girl?” Dean asked.

“Why would I mind?” Anna answered, confused, finally finishing with the makeup and moving onto hair.

“You like Sam as a man, not a woman,” Dean said.

Anna’s hands stilled for a moment before a small smile crossed her lips and she continued her work.

“Cas still loves you, Dean,” she said, pinning part of the waves up.

“ _Dammit!_ Why does everyone always think I’m talking about him?” Dean asked.

“Because you are. Look, you never liked men before Cas, right? Nothing but women?” Anna asked.

“Yeah, so?” Dean said.

“So, why did you fall in love with Cas?”

“Because it’s _Cas_ ,” Dean answered.

“Exactly,” Anna said, finishing Dean’s hair. “And you would love him no matter what vessel he took. The same goes for you. I have never understood why humans get so worked up over sexual preference. It’s not like you fall in love with a body. You fall in love with the soul inhabiting it. Now get up. We need to go eat before I gnaw my own arm off.”

She slapped Dean on the back, and he stood, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He most certainly did not think he looked gorgeous, no sir. Not even a bit…and he certainly didn’t turn to check out how his butt looked in that dress, either. He jumped when Anna stuck her head back in the bathroom, and turned red in the face.

“You’re a soul, Dean, not a body. Let’s go.”

They made their way to the other motel room, and Dean was surprised at the look on Cas’ face when he saw him all dressed up. He walked across the room and took Dean’s hand in his, and gave it a small squeeze.

“Sam! Let’s go!” Dean yelled, and Sam appeared from the bathroom.

Anna’s mouth fell open slightly as Sam came to join them.

“Alright, dinner. We driving?” Sam asked, motioning at his feet. “Heels are just as bad as Dean said.”

They clambered into the car to drive the block to the restaurant, and were seated at a booth in the pleasantly lit room within a few minutes of arrival. They all ordered basically the same thing, and soon found themselves talking like regular, normal people for once.

“He jumped off the roof of Dad’s shed, and he broke his arm,” Dean said, a wicked glint in his eye as he talked about being a kid with his brother.

“Yeah, well, I was a superhero, wasn’t I?” Sam answered.

“Even I know that Batman couldn’t fly, Sam,” Anna laughed.

“I drove him to the emergency room on my handlebars,” Dean said, taking a large bite of spaghetti. “Dad was furious. We had to stay at Bobby’s that week instead of going on the hunt for the ghost, remember?”

“Ugh, Dean, swallow before you talk. Yeah, I remember. That was the week Bobby taught you to change the oil in his old Ford, wasn’t it?” Sam answered.

“Sure was. And you almost cried because he wouldn’t let you do it with one arm,” Dean teased.

“I could’ve done it, I swear. Bobby was just too protective,” Sam said.

“Yeah, he was. Still is, too…”

Anna stifled a yawn behind her hand, and Sam noticed. He glanced at the time on his phone.

“It’s getting late. We should really get back to the motel,” he said, and the others agreed.

Sam flagged down the waiter to get their check. He quickly paid and left a tip, and everyone headed back to the motel. When they arrived, Anna said goodnight immediately and headed toward her room. Sam soon followed, though he took his shoes off before walking back, rubbing at his sore toes.

Dean and Cas closed the door to their own room behind them, and Dean noticed Cas had his head tilted at him.

“Everything okay?” Dean asked.

“You look lovely, Dean,” Cas said, and Dean’s face went red.

“No offense, dude, but that’s not making the situation any less awkward,” Dean said, looking at the floor.

“You have no reason to feel strange. I have taken multiple vessels before Jimmy in my thousands of years on Earth. Some male, some female. The anatomy is of little importance. To me, you are still Dean, and you are still perfect.”

Cas cupped Dean’s face in his hand and brought his lips up to meet his own. He pulled Dean into him, feeling the warmth of his body, and Dean parted his lips to allow for a deeper kiss. Cas delved inside, tongue sweeping every part he could reach, hands grazing up Dean’s arms, and Dean felt a new sensation.

“Hmm,” he said, pulling back. “So that’s what it’s like for girls. Not exactly comfortable,” Dean said.

“Arousal?” Cas asked, and Dean grimaced.

“You can make any word sound technical, you know that?” Dean said, but he smiled and pushed Cas backward toward the bed. “Want to see how this works?”

“I’m perfectly aware how sexual intercourse works. I’ve seen movies.”

Dean rolled his eyes at the angel’s lack of understanding of rhetorical questions. He climbed on top of Cas, who reached up and unzipped the green dress. Cas lifted it off and it fell to the floor. That started a chain reaction, and soon both Cas and Dean were naked, kissing and grinding on one another on the bed.

Cas suddenly flipped them over, and was on top of Dean in an instant. He kissed at Dean’s neck, down his collarbone, and left lovebites all over. Dean groaned, wanting more. His hips thrust upward, and Cas kissed him deeply.

“You ready?” Cas whispered in his deep voice, and Dean nodded feverishly. 

Cas pushed against Dean’s entrance and easily slid in. The sensation was unlike anything Dean had ever experienced. He was full of Cas, surrounded by him. Cas started to move, thrusting deep inside. When he would push flush against Dean, little tremors would go off as he touched something sensitive. Dean hadn’t experienced it before, but he knew he enjoyed it. Dean picked up the pace to match Cas’ thrusts.

“Ah, Cas baby…don’t stop,” Dean moaned, clamping his legs around Cas’ middle and scratching his nails down his back.

Cas sped up, and Dean began to feel a pulling tingle in between his legs. Cas grunted above him, slamming into him with more force than before, and Dean felt himself come close to the edge.

“Dean-,” Cas grunted out, almost there as well.

The sound of his name falling from Cas’ lips caused Dean to shiver, and his orgasm shot through his body like fire. His insides clenched and convulsed, and the motions caused Cas to come too, spilling inside of Dean with a gasp. He stilled, though Dean was still frantically moving, riding out the last of his orgasm. Cas finally pulled out and collapsed next to Dean on the bed, both of them breathing heavily.

“Okay,” Dean said between panting breaths. “Women definitely get the better orgasm. I swear that was three times as long as my normal ones.”

“So you’d prefer to stay a woman?” Cas asked, stroking Dean’s hand lightly.

“Not a freaking chance. Let’s take a shower, then I’m going to bed. Maybe we can find out some more about this mystery monster tomorrow.”

The pair showered quickly and climbed back into bed, snuggling up close under the blankets and turning all the lights out. It was peaceful, just the two of them in the dark, huddled together with skin against skin. Dean slowly fell asleep listening to the steady beat of Cas’ heart, and the even breathing as his angel on Earth fell into a deep sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean was awakened far too early the next morning, the sun barely shining through the windows, by the insistent ringing of his cell phone. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and glanced at the ID through squinted eyes. Bobby. 

“Mmf,” he managed to get out.

“Morning, kid. I got some news on your creature. And your curse, too.”

Dean sank back on the bed, rubbing his eyes to wake himself up and blinking rapidly.

“Yeah? What do you have?” he asked, but Bobby paused on the phone. “Bobby? You still there?”

“Dean? I…I think you may have figured out how to reverse the curse on your own. Either that or you have an awful morning voice,” Bobby said, and Dean sprang to his feet to check the mirror. 

Bobby was right. Dean, the real Dean, was staring back at him. He looked scruffy, tired, and worn, just like always, and couldn’t be happier to see himself. He glanced back at the bed, to see Cas was still sleeping, and carefully closed the door to the bathroom to avoid waking him.

“Oh man, that was the longest day of my life. What a nightmare,” Dean said, and he sank against the sink.

“Was it all bad?” Bobby said, a hint of humor in his voice. “Remember, son, I know how you reverse the curse.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Dean asked.

“In order to break the curse before it runs out, the cursed person has to get it on in their new body. Spare me the details, but I’d say you and Cas had a good time last night,” Bobby said.

“Yeah, we aren’t talking about that,” Dean said, images of himself in the pretty (dammit!) green dress popping into his mind. “What about this monster?”

“Well, that’s the strange thing. It looks like you’re dealing with a Maero.”

“Never heard of it,” Dean said.

“Neither had I, and for good reason. They’re only found in New Zealand. But it has to be that. Everything fits. It’s a humanoid monster with long hair and long fingers. They attack with claws. But it says they eat their prey. Our victims were let go,” Bobby said.

“The animals…Bobby, there have been pets disappearing. They are being eaten. But why not the girls? And why is it in Georgia?” Dean wondered.

“That’s your job to figure out. Now go tell your brother how to break the curse. Call me when you can,” Bobby said.

“I will. Thanks,” Dean said, and hung up.

Dean carefully opened the door to the bathroom and crept back into the bed with Cas, who was still snoring peacefully.

“Cas…” he whispered. “ _Cas_.”

“Mm-hmm?” Cas asked, eyes still closed.

“Wake up, baby, I have a surprise for you,” Dean said, taking one of Cas’ hands and placing it on the stubble on his cheek.

Cas forced open one eye lazily, and gave a half smile.

“Good to see you. I’ll look in more detail in another hour or so,” he said, grasping onto Dean’s arm before flipping onto his side and pulling the other man's arm to wrap himself up.

“That’s it? No big scream of shock or anything?” Dean asked, rather hurt.

Cas squeezed his arm gently.

“I told you last night,” Cas said thickly through his sleepiness. “The housing of your soul makes no difference to me. I love you just the same. But if you want me to scream and yell, let me sleep in for a bit and then I will.”

Dean leaned forward and kissed Cas on the nape of the neck. He pulled him closer and let his nose rest in Cas’ sweet smelling hair, his arm still wrapped around his waist.

“I love you,” Dean whispered.

“Good. Then let me sleep,” Cas said, and soon he was breathing deeply again.

Dean chuckled. Cas was certainly not a morning person. Dean closed his eyes, knowing he should tell his brother about breaking the curse, but wanting to enjoy this moment of quiet with Cas. He must have fallen back asleep, because he was soon abruptly awakened by the sound of someone banging on his motel door.

“Dean! Get up!” a familiar voice said, and Dean strode to the door the throw it open.

“Sam! Damn, it’s good to see you back to normal!” he said, thumping his brother on the back and letting him and Anna into the room.

“I don’t know how it happened, but I’m just glad to be me again. And to see you too.”

“Bobby called me this morning and told me how to break the curse, but we already had. It’s, um, broken the same way it’s made,” Dean said, avoiding Sam’s gaze.

Sam gave an embarrassed sound, rubbing his hand on his neck.

“Yeah, well, he also knows what the monster is too,” Dean added, and this got everyone’s attention. “It’s a Maero.”

“What’s that?” Sam asked.

“It’s a monster from New Zealand,” Cas frowned, as he moved to the bottom of the bed to sit by Anna. “But why is it here?”

“No clue. I think we need to get back to the university and find out,” Dean said.

“Why don’t you and Cas handle this? Anna and I will stay here and do some research on the Maero,” Sam suggested.

“Okay with you, Cas?” Dean asked.

“That sounds fine. Let me change into my suit,” Cas said, and Dean followed him to do the same.

They set out for university soon after, and Cas dug through the dash compartment to find Dean a badge. He pulled on out of his pocket to use for himself.

“Where did you get that?” Dean asked.

“You gave it to me, remember? Back before the Leviathan,” Cas said.

“Dude, you’ve been to Purgatory and back since then!” Dean said, and Cas tilted his head.

“You gave it to me. I considered it important, so I let no harm come by it,” Cas said, frowning.

“It’s just a badge,” Dean said, blushing.

“It was a part of you. And it got me through everything I messed up,” Cas said.

“Hey, you thought you were doing the right thing,” Dean said sternly. “It’s in the past. Though I have to say, the first person you killed when you were playing God was kind of ironic.”

“The preacher?” Cas asked.

“Yeah, the homophobic preacher. You said he was preaching against same sex relationships when you walked in. I mean, I don’t like anyone to die, but he was an asshole.”

“Still, I killed a man of God,” Cas said, ashamed.

“No, Cas. You killed a hate filled man _pretending_ to be a man of God. You think a real Christian hates anyone? Anyway, it’s over and done with. You’ve more than made up for it since.”

Dean and Cas pulled into the parking lot of the university, and went to meet the Chancellor again.

“New agents? The feds must have nothing better to do,” she smiled as they sat down.

“We just go where they send us,” Dean said. “Do you know if any of your students have recently been overseas? Maybe New Zealand?”

The Chancellor frowned.

“A few of our students from abroad went home for Christmas…let me think. We have three from China, Raul is from Spain…yes, Angie!” she finally said.

“Angie? As in the student who was attacked?” Dean asked.

“Yes, Angie is from New Zealand. She went to visit her family over the holiday break a few months ago. Why is that important?” she asked.

“Just covering all our bases, ma’am. Thanks for your help.”

“Anytime…agent,” the Chancellor tilted her head at him and gave a small wink.

Dean grinned widely, and reached over to take Cas’ hand as they left, causing Cas to blush and Dean to feel lighter than air.

Dean and Cas knocked on Angie’s door within minutes.

“Hello!” she said brightly when she answered.

“Hey, Angie. Do you have a minute to talk with us?” Dean asked.

“Uh, sure…but I already talked to two other agents,” she said, frowning.

“We know, ma’am. They sent us with a few follow-up questions,” Dean answered, and Angie stepped back to let them in.

She sat down with them in her living room.

“So we heard you went to New Zealand over Christmas?” Dean asked.

“Yes, my family lives there. Are they okay?”

“Fine, yes, as far as we know. Did you have anything strange happen to you there?” 

“No, of course not,” Angie said, but Cas tilted his head at her.

“You’re lying,” Cas stated, and Angie turned her stare to him.

“No I’m not!” she said, looking offended.

“Your leg is jumpy. You twitched at the question. And you will not look me in the eyes,” Cas said.

“Angie? What happened? We need to know,” Dean said, moving to the edge of his chair.

She shook her head like the two of them were crazy, and kept her arms folded tightly against her chest. Cas moved slightly, and she raised her eyes to meet his peaceful and content stare. She seemed to deflate under his gaze, but looked terrified.

“I never meant to hurt anyone, please believe me,” she said, her head dropping into her hands.

“That depends on what you tell us,” Dean said firmly.

“I…okay. Look, I’m not exactly popular here. I talk weird, I read a lot…”

“So?”

“ _So_ that’s how this started. I was out in the yard at mom’s house during break, and I saw this man by the edge of the woods…at least, I thought it was a man. But he wasn’t. It was a Maero. By the time I realized what he was, it was too late.”

“How did you survive?” Dean asked, and Angie sighed.

“He saw my shirt. It had the name of the University on it…he told me if I’d take him back to the campus, he’d kill other people instead of me,” she said.

“You did it?” Dean asked.

“ _No!_ Well, not really. I told him no way. I couldn’t let him hurt other people to save myself. But then he-he said I was really brave, and as long as I brought him back, he wouldn’t kill anyone. Just animals. And he said he’d only hurt people who had been bad to me. He gave me this stone thing, and disappeared. I wanted to throw it away, but I just…couldn’t. You don’t know what it’s like for me here. I’m awkward…I tried out for the cheerleading squad when I came back from Christmas break. I thought I did really well, but they just laughed at me,” Angie’s eyes welled at that. “I heard them talking after tryouts. They called me a nerd, said I was just too ugly to be on the team.”

“I get it,” Dean said. “People suck. But you went all hoodoo on them for it?”

“I was going to. I got the stone out, and he appeared. But I saw him and I couldn’t do it. Yeah, they’re bitches, but I couldn’t kill them. He said he’d just scare them. And he did, for a while. He’d kill animals instead. That was before he attacked Mia though.”

“Mia?” Dean asked.

“My old roommate. She was the first to be attacked physically. We got into a stupid fight over something. I don’t even remember what it was. She walked out, super pissed, and he jumped out at her. I yelled at him to get him to stop, but when he saw me, he started attacking her. I tried to hit him and I dropped the stone. He picked it up and disappeared. I was on my way back from visiting Mia in the hospital the night he attacked me. I thought for sure he’d kill me, but he said he wanted to make me hurt. He told me he could live off animals, but he was going to keep hurting people just to show me what I had caused. That I was just stupid and ugly, that’s why I didn’t have any friends.”

Angie broke into tears at this point, sobbing into her hands with her shoulders heaving. 

Cas crossed the room in two strides and sat next to Angie. He wrapped his arm around her and let her cry. He stroked her hair until she was able to sit up and breathe clearly again.

“You are not stupid, Angie. Just naïve,” Cas said. “You are not ugly, either. I have seen many, many hum-people- in my years. Only souls can be ugly, and yours is not.”

“Thank you,” Angie sniffed, and squeezed Cas’ arm gently.

“Okay, Angie. Where is he?” Dean asked.

“I don’t know, but he always attacks people by the edge of the forest. He only attacks women though.”

“We know the perfect girl.”

*

“You want Anna to do _what?_ ” Sam asked loudly.

“We’ll be right there the whole time,” Dean explained. “She’ll be fine.”

Sam sighed over the phone.

“I know she said she wants to do this, but I don’t think she knows the danger,” Sam said quietly.

Anna apparently heard him anyway, and a sudden shout rang out so loud that Dean had to hold the phone away from his ear.

“I’m doing it, dammit, just let me find some comfortable shoes!”

“Dude, did she just cuss?” Dean smiled, and Sam chuckled.

“Yeah, she did. Looks like we’ve corrupted another angel.”

“Former angel!” Anna yelled out again, and Sam laughed before growing quiet on the line.

“Look, Sammy, I know it’s not the best plan. But I’d rather it be one of us than another student. We can at least fight him off. Bobby said a dagger washed in pig’s blood will do the trick,” Dean said.

“I’ll head to the butcher’s right now. See you all when you get back. Want to grab dinner?” Sam asked.

“Thanks, but I think Cas and I will do it alone tonight. You and Anna have fun,” Dean said, and he ended the call. “Come on, Cas. Let’s scout the area really quick, then I say we go back to that burger place for the ‘You’re-Bacon-My-Heart’ burger.”

The scout of the area took most of the afternoon. Dean and Cas found some more dead animal parts, and were able to track the trail of the blood back to a clearing in the sparse forest. The trail disappeared at the clearing, and they could find no further clues about where the creature could have gone.

“We’ll just have to try and lure him out tonight,” Dean said. “I don’t like the idea of hanging around here without weapons, even if the damn thing only attacks females. Maybe it could still smell the female I was yesterday or something.”

“I highly doubt that,” Cas said, and his stomach gave a gigantic rumble. 

“Jesus, Cas, was that your stomach or the monster?” Dean said. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”

They found their way back to the Impala and drove the few miles to a place called Queenie B’s Diner. Dean held the door open for Cas, and both of them slid into a booth to order their bacon burgers. A young Asian woman came out to take their order. She grinned widely at Dean, putting her hand on his shoulder as she introduced herself and winking slightly.

“What will it be, sweetie?” she asked.

“That bacon burger sounds perfect,” Dean said with a smile.

“Ooh, that’s good,” the waitress said, writing their order on a notepad. “There’s an awful lot of bacon on there. But something tells me you know how to handle your meat.”

Dean took the innuendo in stride, not even blinking at the comment.

“Well, thank you…Lyla,” he said, reading the nametag on her chest, and she giggled. “My boyfriend here will have the same thing.”

The look on Lyla’s face moved from flirtatious to embarrassed in seconds.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said, flushing crimson, but Dean just laughed.

“Don’t be. I’m flattered,” he said, and she hurried off to place their order.

“I cannot believe you just did that,” Cas said, face hidden in his hands.

“What?” Dean asked.

“Admitted I am your boyfriend. You never would have done that when we first got together,” Cas said, raising his head and smiling.

“Hey, now, when Bobby said he knew you and I were together, I didn’t deny anything,” Dean reminded him.

“Yeah, but you didn’t point it out. That makes twice today you have been flirted with and either touched me or called me your boyfriend. It is unusual,” Cas said.

“I’m not good at expressing my feelings, Cas, you know that. But I figure, I’m happy. You’re happy. Who cares where that happiness comes from? We got to take it where we can, because God knows we don’t get it very much.”

“Dean, I love you,” Cas said, reaching across the table to hold his hand.

“Yeah, I know Cas. I love you too,” Dean said, grinning widely.

“No, Dean, I mean-,” Cas began.

“Burger time!” Lyla appeared with two platters heaped high with fries and the most bacon on a burger that Dean had ever seen.

“Awesome! Thanks,” Dean said, and Cas pulled his hand back to allow the platters to be set in front of them. 

Lyla left them to their meal, and Dean looked up to Cas.

“What were you saying?” Dean asked, but Cas just smiled and shook his head.

“We will discuss it another time,” he said, picking up the burger.

Dean nodded, and took what probably equaled a quarter pound of sandwich into his mouth in one bite.

*

“You’re sure you want to do this?” Sam asked Anna as rode in the backseat of the Impala.

“How many times are you going to ask me that? If I didn’t want to do it, I wouldn’t. You’re all going to be right there. And I can handle myself, in case you haven’t noticed,” Anna said, but she kissed Sam on the cheek. “It’s sweet you’re worried though.”

“Enough of that!” Dean said, flicking his eyes to the pair in the darkness.

“Hypocrite,” Anna huffed, and squeezed Sam’s hand. 

“You know the plan?” Dean asked for the third time. “Get him out in the open, we take him down with the pig’s blood knife. If he tries to claw you, make sure he gets you in the chest, because-,”

“That’s where the armor is, yeah. I know, I can feel it. Dean, why did you have chainmail armor anyway? I haven’t seen it used in battle in a very long time,” Anna said.

Dean’s face went red as he mumbled something about “larping”. 

“Is that some kind of combat training?” Cas asked, and Sam laughed loudly.

“No, Cas, it’s where people dress up and pretend to fight each other as characters. Charlie introduced us to it, but Dean took to it much easier than I did.”

“Shut up, Sam,” Dean said, but he felt better at the mention of Charlie. She may be the sister he never wanted, but he missed her. “Back on topic. Anna, you got this. I know you do.”

They pulled onto campus late that evening. Anna got out of the car and started to walk away before Sam stopped her and pulled her into a kiss that lasted until Dean gave a subtle cough.

“Be careful,” Sam said softly, and he kissed her gently on the forehead.

“Always,” she said before turning to walk toward the woods.

Sam watched her go with a look of trepidation. He bit his lip slightly and watched until she was out of sight. Then he, Dean, and Cas moved to take their places in a shadowy area by a dorm hall. The campus was silent; even college students went to bed eventually.

“Dean,” Sam said suddenly, pointing at the edge of the woods where a figure was moving, about fifty feet away from Anna.

They didn’t move, not wanting to scare the Maero away. Suddenly, a second shape burst from the woods and launched itself at the first, who began to scream. Dean, Sam, and Cas ran toward the commotion, and as they came closer they saw the first shape hadn’t been the Maero at all. It had been Angie.

Angie wrestled with the Maero, who clawed viciously at every inch of her he could reach, knocking her to the ground. They reached Angie as fast as they could, and Sam pulled out the knife to stab the Maero. The creature roared in fury, knocking the knife away from Sam and hitting him sharply in the face. Cas grabbed hold of Angie’s bloody arms, and dragged her away from the fight.

“Angie? Can you hear me?” he asked her, but Angie gave no response. Cas sunk to his knees, keeping an eye on the fight behind him, and felt for a pulse. 

Dean and Sam were fighting the Maero, but had underestimated his strength. With an almighty roar, he slashed at Dean and Sam with his talon-like claws, catching both of them in the chest and sending them spiraling backward in pain.

“ _Hey!_ ” Anna yelled from behind.

The Maero swiped at her as well, but met nothing but the chains of armor under her shirt. Anna took advantage of his moment of confusion, and stabbed the pig’s blood blade quickly into the side of his neck. The Maero gave a yell of pain and began to pour white steam from the wound. Within seconds, the only remains of the Maero were a pile of torn rags he’d worn as clothing, still steaming on the ground.

“Sam!” Anna yelled. “Dean! Are you hurt?”

“We’re good. Just a little cut up,” Dean said, checking his brother’s chest to find similar scratches to his own. He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw Cas knelt to the ground. “Cas?”

“She has a pulse,” Cas said, straightening up. “But we need to get her to the hospital now.” 

Sam scooped Angie up into his arms and they quickly left for the hospital. When they arrived, Angie was rushed into a room, and Dean and Sam went into fed mode, pretending to be agents investigating the attacks. They told the attendants that the attacker had escaped into the woods, but their other agents had apprehended him and taken him into custody. There would be no more attacks.

Sam, Dean, Anna, and Cas sat in the waiting room, hoping for news of Angie soon. Before long, Sam and Anna left for a coffee run, and Dean and Cas were left to watch the horrible television channels hospitals have a tendency to show their occupants. 

“You scared me, you know,” Dean said, eyes resolutely on the late night talk show.

Cas blinked in confusion.

“How?”

“I saw you on the ground after the fight. I thought you were hurt,” Dean said.

“He never touched me at all. I pulled Angie away when I saw she was bleeding. I was checking for a pulse when you said my name. I’m fine,” Cas said.

“Yeah, well, it still bothered me. Once this case is over…what do you say you and I take a few days off? Give Sam and Anna some time alone. We’ll head back to Bobby’s place and drop them off then take off for a bit,” Dean said, holding onto Cas’ hand.

“That sounds perfect.”

“Agents?” a doctor came into the room.

Cas and Dean stood to meet him.

“Is she okay? Will she recover?” Cas asked.

“She’s going to be fine. Some scars from the man who assaulted her, and that’s about all. She lost a lot of blood, but we gave her a transfusion. She woke up a few minutes ago.”

“May we speak with her?” Cas asked.

“Of course. Follow me,” the doctor said.

They were walking down the hall when they ran into Sam and Anna, who joined the group.

“Here you are,” the doctor said moments later, and he opened the door. “Miss Miller? These agents would like to talk to you.”

“Hey, guys,” Angie said weakly from the bed, and the doctor left.

“Angie. It’s so good to see you alive,” Cas said, sitting at the bottom of her bed, and Angie smiled.

“I’ll be fine. Thank you for saving me,” she said.

“That’s our job. But why were you out there anyway?” Dean asked.

“I couldn’t stand the thought of someone else getting hurt because I screwed up. I thought if I killed the Maero, your friend wouldn’t have to get hurt.”

“She was fine. Anna actually was the one to kill the Maero, not us,” Sam said.

“So, you’re pretty much a badass, huh?” Angie giggled, but clutched her bandages painfully when she did. “Anyway, thank you all so much. No one else is going to get hurt, and that’s all I could ask for. If it’s okay, could I get a moment with this agent please?”

She pointed at Cas, who looked surprised. Anna, Dean and Sam left the room to give them some privacy. Angie reached for his hand.

“You knew I was lying about the Maero. And when I was hurt, you left your friends to save me. Why?” Angie asked.

“You were giving clear signs of being untruthful. When you were hurt, you were the priority. My friends are capable of taking on things alone,” Cas said, but Angie shook her head.

“No, that’s not it. I told you all about a freaking _monster_ and you barely blinked. Most people would have me locked up. Who are you really?” Angie asked.

Cas’ fingers went to the angel wing necklace around his neck and played with the golden wings. He looked at Angie, eyes wide with trust, and he nodded.

“My name is Castiel. Until recently, I was an angel. I chose to fall from grace. But I still can tell when people are lying, or when they are good in their souls, just by meeting them.”

“How?” Angie asked. “Are you still magic?”

Cas laughed a little.

“No, I’m not magic. I just seem to have picked up on body language and the ability to read people.”

“Why did you choose to fall?” Angie asked, but noticed Cas’ demeanor change. “Or is it too personal? You don’t have to answer, forget I said anything.”

“It is personal, but not a secret. I’m very happy to have fallen for the reason I did. I fell in love with a human. I couldn’t have him and Heaven, so I chose him. I’d do it again without even thinking,” Cas said. “But what about you? What will you do now?”

“I’m going back to New Zealand and enrolling in a school there. Screw this place. I’m not happy, and I’m not forcing myself to be miserable to make a stupid point about being stronger than this. I know I am, and that’s all that matters,” Angie said.

There was a knock on the door and Dean came in.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

Angie looked between the two of them, and her eyes widened. 

“It’s him?” she asked Cas, and Cas nodded. “I don’t blame you. I’d have fallen too.”

Cas laughed as he stood up, and Dean looked confused. 

“Take care of yourself, Angie. Good luck,” Cas said, and he patted her arm gently as he left the room.

“Why did she ask about me?” Dean asked as he shut the door. “What did you tell her?”

“The truth.”

*

Dean, Cas, Sam and Anna made it back to Bobby’s house in a few days.

“It’s damn good to see you all,” Bobby said as he let them in the front door. “Come in, I’ve got lunch made.”

They followed Bobby to the kitchen to see a giant pepperoni pizza laid out on the table. Dean looked around the room while Sam whistled through his teeth, impressed.

“You made this, Bobby?” Sam asked.

“Oh, yeah. Got bored, and I thought you’d like something homemade.”

“Did you now?” Dean asked, holding up a pizza delivery box and grinning.

Sam burst out laughing.

“I could make pizza!” Bobby insisted, and everyone grabbed a slice.

“Sure you could. Thanks for lunch,” Dean said. “Look, after this, Cas and I are going to cut out for a bit. We’ll be gone a few days, but if a case comes up, call me.”

“Where are you going?” Anna asked.

“I’ve got an idea, but I’m not telling him. You all just enjoy a few days together,” Dean answered, ignoring Cas’ confused glances.

When the pizza was gone, which took a surprisingly short amount of time for one its size, Dean and Cas said their goodbyes and climbed into the Impala.

“Where are we going?” Cas asked.

“A place I think you’ll love. It’s about two hours from here,” Dean said, and he sat back comfortably in his seat and pulled the Impala out onto the road. 

Cas took Dean’s hand, and the pair rode for over an hour in the silence, with the windows down and the music cranked up, blasting AC/DC, Queen, and Aerosmith on rotation. Cas held one hand out of the window, weaving it with the currents of the air. He squinted his eyes against the wind and sun.

“Doesn’t that hurt your eyes?” Dean asked.

“It stings a little,” Cas admitted, making no effort to close his eyes.

“Then close your eyes, Cas,” Dean said, as though explaining to a child.

“No. I only get to live this life once. I want to feel the wind and the sun, and everything that comes with that.”

“You are all kinds of wacked up. It’s perfect,” Dean said, and he held onto Cas’ hand tighter. “Let’s run to the grocery store here in town. We’ve only got about thirty minutes to go.”

“Why not wait until we reach our destination to eat?” Cas asked.

“Getting to the store might be kind of hard. It’s better to go now, especially since it’s supposed to start raining tonight.”

“Why does that matter?”

“You’ll see,” Dean said secretively.

They pulled into a grocery store parking lot a few miles later, and Dean eagerly grabbed a cart to shop with. Shopping was usually a chore, but with Cas it was entertainment.

“Why have these children stolen this little man’s trinkets?” Cas asked in the cereal aisle.

Dean laughed out loud at the sight of Cas staring, bewildered, at an ad next to a box of Lucky Charms.

“It’s just an ad, Cas. They didn’t really steal anything. I guess it’s their slogan, making people think it’s good enough to steal.”

“Oh…stealing is wrong, though,” Cas said, and frowned at the box. “I will not steal you, even if you say you’re delicious.”

Dean shook his head and took the box of cereal off the shelf. He placed it in the cart and continued along, stopping to answer random questions Cas had.

“No, Cas, chocolate milk doesn’t come from chocolate cows…have you been listening to Sam again?”

“Cas, don’t look so confused. Some eggs are brown and some are white.”

“Cabbage and lettuce are two different vegetables. They just look the same.”

“It’s just _called_ an angel food cake. I don’t think angels have anything to do with it.”

By the time Dean and Cas reached the checkout line, the cart was half full with items Cas had been curious about, and Dean wanted him to try. They paid for their groceries, and Dean pushed the cart out the door and to the Impala. Soon they were back on the road.

A few miles later, Dean pulled off onto a gravel road. They drove up a winding mountain road, and turned off onto other roads, eventually pulling onto one that was simply dirt and led up a mountain at a very steep angle.

“See why I said the rain was bad? When it rains, this whole road turns to mud and you can’t get out of here until it dries,” Dean explained.

“Why are we up here?” Cas said, and Dean grinned broadly.

“Look up there,” Dean said, pointing to a curve in the road. 

As he and Cas passed the curve, a cabin came into view, sitting peacefully atop the mountain, lush green yard sprawling for at least two acres around it. Dean pulled in next to the cabin and turned off the car.

“It is beautiful. How did you know about this place?” Cas asked.

“Bobby’s friend used to own it. He was a hunter, but got killed back in the nineties. Bobby used to bring us up here all the time when Dad would leave us with him. I don’t think anyone even knows it’s here besides us.”

Dean popped the trunk and he and Cas carried the groceries to the door. Dean fumbled with his keys and opened the door to the cabin. The downstairs consisted of a living room with an old couch, coffee table, and television, and a kitchen with a scrubbed wooden table, stove, refrigerator, and sink. They put the food on the table and set to putting it away. Dean hummed while they worked, all smiles.

“What’s this?” Cas asked, holding up a small square box he pulled out of one of the bags.

“It’s a disposable camera. They take better pictures than a cell phone,” Dean said.

Cas set it down and finished putting the groceries away. He looked around the cabin, taking in the rest of the two rooms he’d seen when he walked in.

“What is upstairs?” Cas asked, noticing the winding staircase in the corner of the living room.

“That’s a surprise for later,” Dean said, and pushed Cas gently toward the living room. “I don’t want to sound all homey here, but go sit down. I want to cook you dinner.”

“I think I’ll sit on the steps outside, if that is fine,” Cas said.

“Dude, you don’t need my permission to do anything. Free will and all that. I’ll yell for you when I’m done.”

Cas made his way out onto the front porch to sit in the late afternoon sun. It was quiet except for the sounds of birds and other forest animals in the woods. He could hear the slight buzzing sound that indicated a bee hive was nearby, and it made him happy to think of them all. A breeze blew frequently, and Cas noticed some clouds gathering on the horizon. Big, fluffy, white ones that usually meant a storm would be rolling in soon. He rested his head backward against the cabin wall, and closed his eyes at the myriad of sensations rolling over him.

He must have fallen asleep, because soon he could hear Dean’s voice.

“Hey, man, you okay?” Dean asked.

“Fine. Just sleepy,” Cas answered with a wide yawn.

“Well, come inside. Dinner is done.”

Cas followed Dean into the cabin, where the smell of something delicious wafted out into the living room. They went in to sit at the table, and Cas was impressed with the number of things Dean had managed to cook while he’d been asleep.

“What is all this?” Cas asked, and he and Dean took a seat.

“Those brown things are steaks. Meat. And this is a type of vegetable called broccoli. I don’t normally like it, but my mom used to make it like this, and hers was always good. I guess if you put cheese on something, though, it makes anything good. Those over there are baked potatoes. You put butter and sour cream on them and they’re awesome. I made you a glass of chocolate milk to drink too.”

“Dean...thank you,” Cas said, and he kissed Dean on the cheek gently.

“It’s just dinner, Cas,” Dean said, his cheeks reddening. 

They ate like they hadn’t had a meal in years, Cas closing his eyes at every new flavor. He couldn’t decide his favorite part of the meal, but he knew he loved chocolate milk. After his third glass, Dean cut him off.

“Dude, you drink that much and you’ll be puking in an hour. Time for some water.”

After dinner, Dean surprised Cas by telling him he’d made dessert.

“And it isn’t pie. You owe me for that, by the way,” he said, and produced a spongy-looking mass from the refrigerator. “Angel food cake.”

He sliced a piece off for Cas, and one for himself. Cas took a big bite and leaned back in his chair.

“Angel food is the perfect name for that cake.”

Dean laughed and ate his as well. They finished their desserts and cleaned up the table, piling the dishes in the sink to be dealt with later. Soon they were collapsed on the couch, rubbing their full stomachs and trying to find something to watch on television. After an hour of reality tv, which Dean vehemently denied liking, Cas stretched.

“You never told me what was upstairs.”

Dean looked at Cas with a glint in his eye.

“Do you want to go find out?”

“Right now?” Cas asked, and Dean nodded.

“Yeah. I had planned to go outside and relax, but the thunderstorm is going to be here any minute,” Dean said, gesturing out the window. “Besides, it’s getting late. Come on.”

He rose from the couch and Cas followed him up the stairs, switching off the lights as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He led the way, holding Cas’ hand in the dark and leading him up the spiral, wooden stairs. 

“Close your eyes,” Dean said, and Cas did.

Dean pulled Cas by the hand, and stepped onto the second floor. Cas could feel a slight temperature change. It felt cooler up here.

“Open your eyes,” Dean said, and Cas gazed around the room.

He was momentarily speechless. Most of the upstairs was devoted to one large bedroom, with an enormous bed inside. One wall of the cabin was made up of a giant picture window that looked out over the grounds. Cas could see the rain falling down and was even able to see lightening off in the distance. 

“Dean, this room, it’s-”

“I know. Trust me, Bobby slept on the couch downstairs and Sammy and I slept up here. We used to talk about the girls we’d bring here someday,” Dean said. “Who would’ve thought I’d be bringing an angel here instead?”

“I’m not an angel,” Cas said.

“I’ve told you over and over, Cas baby. You’ll always be an angel to me.”

Dean leaned in and kissed Cas gently, pulling him close to his body and caressing his arms down his body. Cas’ skin erupted in goosebumps, even though he was still wearing his clothes. He leaned into the kiss and tilted his head to deepen it. Cas grazed his fingers up Dean’s legs, dipping under his shirt and tracing circles on his stomach and chest. Dean twitched and lifted his hands to push Cas’ trench coat gently off his shoulders. 

Painstakingly slowly, and never breaking their kiss for any longer than they had to, Dean and Cas unbuttoned shirts, slid off ties, pulled at trousers, and unzipped jeans until both stood in only their boxers, a small pile of clothing next to them in the floor.

The storm rolled in strongly then, and Dean carefully guided Cas backward to the bed. He gave him a gentle push, and Cas fell back onto it, clinging to Dean’s shoulders to bring him down as well. A large flash of lightning lit up the room, and Dean saw Cas’ eyes, pupils blown wide with lust. He kissed at him hungrily, nipping his way down his jaw and onto his neck. He sucked gently, drawing quiet moans out of Cas. Dean slipped one hand under the waistband of Cas’ boxers, and drew his fingers up his length. Cas bucked upward, and Dean laughed.

“Damn, you’re ready to go, huh?” Dean teased, but Cas simply tilted his head.

Cas may have been small, but he wasn’t weak. He grasped onto Dean’s upper arms, and with a tremendous amount of strength, flipped him down onto the bed and rolled on top of him. The sudden change in position, and the fierceness of Cas’ expression, made Dean’s laughter die quickly.

“You seem to forget that I was a soldier,” he said, rolling his hips into Dean’s and drawing out a loud moan. “I am stronger than I look.”

He leaned forward, his hands still pinning Dean’s arms to the mattress, and licked a stripe up Dean’s neck. Then he began to kiss Dean, starting with a deep, long kiss to Dean’s lips and working downward, ending just above his underwear. Dean raised his torso up to watch, causing his ab muscles to flex. Cas nibbled at Dean’s erection through his underwear, then grasped onto the elastic with his teeth, pulling them down to his knees before using his hands to slide them the rest of the way off. He never broke eye contact.

“That is so fucking sexy,” Dean said breathlessly.

Cas just kissed his way back up Dean’s leg until he reached his straining cock. He mouthed around the base, planting small kisses and nibbles. Then, looking Dean in the eyes, he licked the tip before plunging it into his mouth. Dean threw his head back and moaned, and Cas immediately let him fall out of his mouth.

“Look at me, Dean. I want to watch your face while I hear you make those sounds,” Cas said in his gravelly voice.

Dean met his eyes again, and Cas sunk his mouth back down on his dick, bobbing his head slightly and swirling his tongue around the tip. He sucked until his cheeks hollowed, and moaned breathily each time he was all the way down. Dean couldn’t look away even if he wanted to now. Watching his dick disappear into Cas’ mouth was intoxicating.

“Cas…please,” Dean begged, and Cas sat up.

“Do you wish to be bottom this time?” he asked, and Dean nodded.

“There’s some lube in that drawer,” he said, pointing next to the bed. “I snuck it up here while you were taking a nap.”

“Wise choice,” Cas said with a grin, and reached for the tube.

He slicked up his fingers and began to open Dean up, beginning with one finger and soon using three. Dean writhed underneath of him, hips bucking every time Cas brushed his prostate. 

“You are ready for this,” Cas whispered, and every hair on Dean’s body stood on end.

“Yes, please, Cas,” Dean moaned, and suddenly Cas’ fingers were gone.

Cas sat up and lined the head of his dick up with Dean’s entrance. He pushed himself against Dean’s hole, the tightness overwhelming him. He made a slight thrust and felt himself slide in. He gave a small groan, and pushed in slowly, filling Dean up.

“Move, Cas,” Dean said from below, and met Cas’ eyes in the darkened room.

Cas rolled his hips slowly, and Dean moaned at the intrusion.

“Don’t stop,” he begged, and Cas picked up the pace.

Cas pounded into Dean relentlessly. Dean could feel the air around them thicken with their heat. He watched Cas’ look of pure bliss as he thrust into him over and over, and then reached and took Dean’s hard cock in his hands. Cas pumped his hand in rhythm with his dick, and Dean grasped at the sheets below him.

“Ah, Cas baby,” he moaned, trying to match Cas’ thrusts with his own. “Faster.”

Cas sped up, his tongue rolling over his lips to keep them from drying out from his panting. He could feel the pressure growing in his lower stomach.

“Dean,” he moaned, slamming into him and grasping his cock in his hand, hard.

“I’m-I’m almost,” Dean said breathlessly, nearly yelling.

“Come for me, Dean. I want to see it all over you. I want to feel the heat of it on my hand,” Cas moaned, and those words were Dean’s breaking point.

Dean yelled out, his release shooting all over his own chest and splashing down Cas’ moving hand. Cas saw the look of elation on Dean’s face and pumped into him once, twice more before he was coming as well. He stilled, and filled Dean with his hot come.

Dean and Cas lay back on the bed, panting and covered in the results of their sex. Dean glanced at the window and gave a short laugh.

“Jesus, we recreated Titanic in here,” he said, and Cas looked confused. “Look at the window.”

The giant window in the bedroom was covered in a layer of condensation, blocking out most of the storm raging outside. Rain pelted the window from the outside, and flashes of lighting lit up the room frequently.

Dean and Cas lay silent for a moment and listened to the storm rage outside.

“You know, I didn’t like thunderstorms as a kid,” Dean said quietly. “Mom told me not to be scared. She said the sound was just the angels in Heaven bowling.”

“I enjoy bowling,” Cas said seriously.

“Wait, you bowl in Heaven?” Dean asked.

“Of course we do. It was one of Gabriel’s favorite activities. That’s not what makes thunder, though.”

“I knew that much, Cas,” Dean said with a playful smile. “I need to go get cleaned up. Be right back.”

He got out of bed and walked through a door at the far end of the bathroom. Cas heard the shower start, and rose to take one himself, stopping at the window long enough to look out and do something for Dean quickly.

Cas brushed his teeth while Dean finished his shower, then traded places with him to wash off himself. Dean quickly finished up and headed back to the bedroom to wait on Cas. After he had thrown on some boxers, he climbed into the bed. A sudden flash of lightning lit up the room, and the window. Now, though, there was something written there. 

Dean climbed out of bed for a closer look at the writing. There, scribbled in Cas’ elegant writing, were the words

_I love you_

Underneath, Cas hadn’t signed his name. Instead, he had drawn a pair of angel wings.


	4. Chapter 4

While Cas finished up his shower, Dean ran downstairs to grab the camera. He snapped a quick picture of the message from Cas and climbed back into the bed, intending to give Cas the biggest kiss ever. Somehow, though, the sound of the water in the shower and the rain hitting the window lulled Dean into a peaceful sleep.

Cas had come back into the room to find Dean snoring slightly, the camera sitting on the nightstand. Cas quietly got dressed and pulled a blanket over Dean before settling into the bed as gently as he could. Then he wrapped one arm around the sleeping man next to him, and closed his eyes.

When Dean awoke the next morning, he was momentarily surprised to see the sun shining through the window and Cas nowhere to be found. He felt a moment of panic before hearing a sound downstairs. Dean climbed out of the bed and went down to see what Cas was doing.

A scene of beauty met his eyes; Cas was sitting a plate piled high with bacon down on the table, next to Dean’s own plate of scrambled eggs and a large glass of orange juice.

“Good morning. I was just about to call you down,” Cas said with a smile, and pulled a chair out for Dean to take a seat.

He brought his own plate of eggs to the table to join him, along with an enormous glass of chocolate milk, and a bowl of Lucky Charms. Dean waited for him to take a bite.

“Well? What do you think? Worth sinning for?” Dean asked, but Cas just chewed thoughtfully.

“Not particularly. It is good though.”

Dean laughed.

*

After breakfast, Dean and Cas decided to sit on the front porch. Dean brought along the camera to snap some more pictures. The rain had thankfully moved off, and the weather was sunny and warm. Cas stretched out on the porch, hands behind his head and eyes closed. Dean quietly brought the plastic camera to his eye and took a fast picture before dropping it back down again. Holding it made him think of the night before.

“Hey, Cas?” he asked.

“Yes?” Cas answered.

“I saw what you wrote on the window last night. I love you too,” Dean said.

“I know you do,” Cas said with a slight smile.

“You remember a few days ago at the diner? You said you loved me, but you wanted to say something else. What was it?” Dean asked.

Cas sat up on the porch and his eyes met Dean’s.

“It’s something important, and I really want to take my time and do it right. Can we talk tonight? After dinner?” Cas asked.

“Yeah, of course, Cas. Whatever you want,” Dean said.

“Thank you,” Cas said, but jumped a foot when Dean’s phone rang.

“It’s Sam,” Dean said, and answered. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, Dean, everything is fine. I just have something important to talk to you about,” Sam said in a rush. “Anna and Bobby will be back soon, so I don’t have much time.”

“Why? What’s going on?” Dean asked.

“The other day, you asked if I was in love with Anna,” Sam said, but he stopped, unsure of how to proceed.

“Yeah, and?” Dean pressed.

“Well, I am. And I have this-this problem,” Sam said.

“Problem? Oh, Jesus…is she _pregnant?_ ” Dean asked, and Cas’ eyes widened.

“No, no,” Sam said, and Dean sighed, shaking his head at Cas’ worried expression, which softened. “I just…I want to ask her to marry me.”

Silence rippled across the line.

“Dean?” Sam asked, worried.

“That’s _great_ , Sammy!” Dean said, recovering from shock. “But why did you call me first?”

“I wanted a second opinion.”

“On who you should marry? Sorry, man, that’s kind of all on you. You don’t need my permission or anything! And I like Anna,” Dean said.

“We haven’t known each other for very long. What if I’m making a huge mistake?” Sam asked.

“Only you can know that. But I can tell you, hunter lifespans aren’t long. If you think this will make you happy, you should do it.”

“Thanks, Dean. Look, I want you to be here for this. When are you coming back?” Sam asked.

“Tomorrow afternoon. Can you wait that long?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, sure. I just hate having this thing in my pocket, you know? I feel like I’m going to accidentally propose to someone, or something.”

Dean laughed.

“Just breathe, Sammy. We hunt monsters. I think you can handle asking a girl to marry you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Dean hung up the phone and beamed at Cas.

“Looks like Sammy is going to pop the question!” Dean said.

“What question?” Cas asked.

“He’s going to ask Anna to marry him. I’ve got to say, I didn’t see that coming.”

“And you are happy for him?” Cas asked, and Dean nodded.

“Of course. He deserves it, and I’m happy he found someone like Anna.”

Cas grinned.

“Me too.”

“Come on, I want to show you something,” Dean said, standing up and pulling Cas up by the hand.

Cas followed Dean around the cabin on the still-damp earth. Dean rounded the corner and the sound of buzzing filled the air.

“Bees,” Dean said triumphantly. “I forgot they had a hive up here, but I thought you might like to see them.”

Cas smiled widely. He may not have been in his right mind when he left Dean and Sam to watch the bees before, but he did truly love to do it. He moved closer to the hive, walking slowly and moving his arm up to reach toward them.

“Cas-,” Dean said, but cut off when Cas managed to touch the side of the hive without anything buzzing out to sting him. “How’d you do that? Those bastards sting me all the time.”

“Patience. Once they know I pose no threat, they have no desire to sting me.”

A bee landed lazily on Dean’s arm, and he froze, squeaking out a small sound.

“Don’t move. It will not sting you,” Cas said, and walked over to gently prod the creature onto his own finger before moving it back to the hive.

Dean visibly relaxed once the bee was gone, and Cas grinned.

“Dean Winchester, monster hunter, afraid of a tiny bee,” Cas said.

“Shut up, Cas. Those stings hurt.”

Dean and Cas spent most of the rest of the day outside in the warm sunshine, feeling the heat beat down on them and watching the ground gradually dry up. They came inside long enough to eat a quick lunch and dinner before heading back out onto the lawn to watch the fireflies dance in the twilight.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” Cas said, stretched out on the green yard and staring into the evening sky.

“I’d love to bring you back sometime,” Dean said, turning his head in the grass to look at Cas. “It’s been a great few days. It’s good to get away from kicking ass.”

Cas smiled and sighed contentedly, watching the combination of stars and fireflies in the sky.

“Cas…you said you wanted to talk this evening,” Dean said softly, wondering why he was suddenly as nervous as a preteen with a crush.

“I did. Do you remember when we first met? After Hell, of course,” Cas said, sitting up and facing Dean, who sat up to face him as well.

“Yeah, can’t really forget that. You walked into the barn and blew out all the lights. Then I shot you and stabbed you. And you knocked Bobby out cold. Still, not my worst first date,” Dean said.

“And do you remember Purgatory?” Cas asked.

“I’ve tried not to, but yeah, I do. Why is any of that important?” Dean asked.

“Because it all is. Hell, Purgatory, when I was God, when I rebelled…everything is important. I have been through a lot in my time on Earth since I first pulled you from Hell. I wouldn’t trade any of it, because it led me to you. I might do some things differently, but I would eagerly go through it all again to end up here. I love you.”

“I love you too, Cas,” Dean said, giving him his best smile.

“No, Dean, listen. When I say I love you, I mean it. Because I’m really, honestly, in love with you. That’s what I’ve been struggling with telling you. I love all of humanity, and so I have always loved you, Sam, Bobby…every one. But the difference is that I am _in_ love with you. With your beautiful soul, the way you close your eyes when you taste pie, how you always have that one side of your hair messed up when you get up in the morning, and even how you look so dirty and exhausted after a hunt. I am in love with you, Dean, and I have never experienced this before.”

“Cas…” Dean tried to think of something to say to that. “I love you so, so much. I don’t know what I did to deserve this, to deserve you, but I swear, it’s all I ever want for the rest of my life. I’m in love with you too, don’t worry about that.”

Dean leaned in and captured Cas’ lips in a sweet, soft kiss. 

“You’re perfect, you know that?” Dean asked. “Let’s go inside. I want to show you exactly how special you are.”

“Really? How?” Cas asked, and he tilted his head slightly to the side.

The look was so characteristically Cas, so adorable, that Dean couldn’t help himself.

“Screw going inside,” Dean said, and he moved quickly, pressing his lips against Cas’. He leaned him backwards gently, until Dean was laying on top of Cas in the dark grass, kissing him fiercely. 

Dean kept a tight grip on Cas’ hips, and squeezed them gently as he deepened the kiss. Cas slipped his hands under Dean’s shirt and pulled his dull fingers down his back, giving an involuntary thrust of his hips when Dean suddenly moved from kissing his lips to sucking on his neck. Dean pulled one hand off of Cas’ hip and etched the outline of Cas’ thickening member in his pants.

“Ah…Dean…” Cas said, barely above a whisper.

Cas pulled Dean’s lips back to his own and kissed him deeply, stopping only long enough to suck on Dean’s bottom lip. Dean rolled his hips into Cas’ and it sent a shockwave through them both. He rolled them again and again, until Cas was moaning into his mouth.

“Take…them off…please,” he said breathlessly, and tugged at Dean’s jeans.

Dean sat up just long enough to pull his jeans and underwear off, and did the same to Cas. Being away from his lips for even this short amount of time was maddening; he leaned back down and kissed Cas hard on his lips, one hand holding himself up and the other feeling every inch he could. Cas gave another involuntary thrust, and it sent Dean’s blood rushing to his dick. 

Dean dropped his head to nibble on Cas’ collarbone, and he felt their cocks brush each other. Cas sucked in a deep breath. Dean rutted into the feeling, and Cas matched his thrusts, which steadily grew faster and more erratic. They moved quickly against each other, fingers scratching at skin and their hearts racing. Cas’ blue eyes met Dean’s green ones, and the look of pure adoration in Dean’s face was one of the sexiest things Cas had ever seen.

“Dean, I’m so close,” Cas said through gritted teeth.

“Come for me, baby. I’ve got you,” Dean said, panting, and Cas gave a loud moan.

Dean sucked at Cas’ neck, marking it with little bruises, before kissing his way back up to his mouth and thrusting his tongue inside. Precome was leaking out of both of their dicks, giving every motion a deliciously slippery feel. Dean pressed his entire body onto Cas’, pushing him into the ground and rutting mercilessly, and Cas thrust as best as he could. The added pressure onto their throbbing dicks was fantastic; the heat, the pressure, the slippery, silky movements.

“Uhm, yeah, Cas baby, just like that. Mmm,” Dean groaned against the other man’s mouth.

“Don’t stop!” Cas yelled, hips thrusting, and his words garbled against the constant kissing. “Ah… _Dean!_ ”

Cas gave a loud moan and stiffened slightly underneath of Dean. Dean exploded at the same time, moaning Cas’ name against his mouth, his mind racing as he felt both of their dicks pulsing hot come in between them.

Dean rolled off of Cas onto the cool grass, desperately trying to catch his breath. His heart hammered in his chest, and he reached to clasp Cas’ hand.

“I love you, Cas,” Dean said.

“I love you too,” Cas said, and he rolled over in the grass to lay his head on Dean’s shoulder.

The yard was quiet except for the occasional sounds of owls, crickets, frogs, and other summer sounds heard in the country. A warm breeze rustled the trees occasionally, and it smelled like a summer night is supposed to: peaceful, earthy, and everything good.

Dean ran his thumb across Cas’ hand in small circles, and nestled his chin into Cas’ hair.

“You know, I’ve got good memories here. With Bobby and Sam, and now you too. I always liked when Bobby would bring us here for the weekend or something,” Dean said.

“What would you do?” Cas asked.

“All kinds of stuff,” Dean said. “I learned to catch a baseball back near the bee hive. That’s how I know they hurt. One time, Sam and I were playing catch while Bobby worked on a case inside. Sam threw the ball to me, but I missed and it went right into the side of the nest. Damn, those bees were pissed. Sam was still a little thing, though, and he didn’t know what to do. All those bastards came flying out at us, so I just picked up Sam and I ran. I couldn’t make it in the back door fast enough, so I dove in the pond back there. Sam and I went back in the house, soaking wet. I thought Bobby was going to yell himself hoarse.”

Cas gave a small chuckle.

“We’d go fishing in that pond. There used to be lots of catfish and bass. That meant we could go fishing anytime and catch something, ‘cause bass bite during the day and catfish come out mainly at night,” Dean grinned. “Man, you have to use some nasty stuff to catch catfish. It’s called stinkbait, and it’s awful. Sam and I were out with Bobby one night, the first night Sam stayed up late enough to come with us, and I told him the catfish liked it because it smelled like apple pie. He didn’t believe me, so I opened the lid and told him to take a big whiff. He did it, too. Then he started gagging and coughing, but when Bobby asked what was wrong, he didn’t squeal. He said he’d swallowed a gnat. Even back then, he had my back, even after what I’d done to him. Crazy kid.”

Dean adjusted his legs in the grass, crossing his ankles, before he continued.

“And now I’ve got all these memories up here with you too. I don’t want to go all chick flick on you, but I’m glad we came up here. You’re family, Cas, and this place always reminds me of my family, so it just makes sense, you know?”

Dean’s question was met with silence.

“Cas?” Dean asked, and turned his head at an awkward angel to look down at the man, who was fast asleep. “Damn, Cas, you could sleep anywhere.”

Dean didn’t want to wake him up. Instead, using his sore and weary muscles, he carefully picked Cas up in his arms and stood to take him inside. He was worried he’d wake Cas, but the smaller man simply nuzzled into Dean’s arms tighter with a small, sleepy sigh.

Dean contemplated the clothes on the ground, but figured he’d have to come back for those. He walked carefully back into the house and up the stairs. He slowly pulled back the blankets with his foot to avoid jostling Cas around, and set him down gently. Dean crept to the bathroom and pulled out a washcloth, which he dampened in warm water. He quickly cleaned himself off, and went back to wipe Cas off as well. Then, he pulled the blankets up and tucked them under the sleeping man, before planting a soft kiss on his forehead.

He grabbed their clothes out of the yard, and threw on some boxers before locking the door for the night. Within minutes, he had brushed his teeth and climbed into the bed with Cas. He tried to be as quiet as possible. 

“I could have walked, you know,” Cas said, his voice gravelly and thick, and Dean jumped slightly, a small grin on his face.

“Yeah, I know. But where’s the fun in that?”

*

When Dean awoke the next morning, he was surprised to find himself tangled with Cas, arms brushing, legs wrapped around each other, and Cas’ face a mere inch from his own. Dean gazed at his face, so peaceful in the early morning light. As if on cue, Cas opened his eyes groggily at Dean.

“Morning,” Dean said cheerfully, and made to roll over out of the bed.

Cas wrapped his arm around Dean and pulled him closer, resting his forehead against the back of Dean’s neck.

“Too early. A few more minutes,” Cas said, his breath tickling Dean’s back.

“No way. We’ve got to get packed up and get back on the road. It’s a big day for Sam,” Dean said, and he carefully rolled out of Cas’ arms.

Cas groaned slightly and rolled onto his stomach.

“You’re no morning person,” Dean said, and Cas gave a grumbled and muffled response.

“If morning came a little later, I’d like it more.”

Dean laughed as he threw a t-shirt on and pulled on some jeans. He glanced back at Cas, whose breathing had become steady again, and sighed. The man could fall asleep so easily. Still, he was new at sleeping in general, and Dean wanted to let him enjoy it. He spent some time roaming around the cabin, packing away their clothes and anything else they’d brought with them. Soon, everything was packed into the back of the Impala, and Dean cooked breakfast.

“Cas!” he yelled. “If you don’t come down and eat, I’m throwing it out for the bees.”

“Bees don’t eat eggs, Dean,” Cas said sleepily as he entered the room.

“Yeah, well, they’re missing out. Sit down, we’ve got to each the stuff that needs to be refrigerated. I don’t want it to go bad on the way home.”

Dean and Cas shared an odd breakfast of bacon, eggs, milk, ice cream, and cheese. The rest of the food was packed into the car, and soon Dean was closing and locking the front door so that he and Cas could head back to Bobby’s.

“Wait,” Cas said when Dean turned to go down the stairs to the car. 

He pulled Dean to him and kissed him gently, fingers grazing his back and coming to a rest on his hips.

“Thank you for bringing me here. For sharing this space with me. It’s beautiful,” Cas said, and he hugged Dean tightly.

“Like I said, you’re family now. It just made sense.”

Dean clasped onto Cas’ hand for the short walk to the car. Once they were back on the road, Dean rolled the windows down to let in the late-morning air, and Cas waved his arms in the currents outside his window as Dean picked the music.

“Do you always listen to the same music?” Cas asked, and Dean looked bewildered.

“Damn, Cas, how many years have you known me? Yeah, always the same.”

“Don’t you think you’d like to try something else?”

“I like what I have. Why try something new?” Dean asked.

Cas cocked his head to the side and lifted one eyebrow.

“I’m rather happy you didn’t stick with just one thing in some parts of your life,” he said simply.

Dean laughed.

“Yeah, well, I guess sometimes something different can be good,” he looked over at Cas, who was staring peacefully out the window. “What did you have in mind?”

Cas grinned broadly and reached to turn on the radio. He quickly switched it to a pop station, flicked his shoes off, and lay back in the seat with his feet hanging out the window.

“Hey, howdy, and hello, peeps!” a host said loudly through the radio, and Dean grunted his irritation at the man’s chipper attitude. “Thanks for hanging with me! I’m outtie for the day, but here’s one last song by the Cab!”

Dean gritted his teeth. What the hell kind of name was that? 

_“I’m an angel with a shotgun…”_

That caught Dean’s attention. He glanced toward Cas again as the song progressed. Cas had a goofy smile on his face, his eyes closed as the sun beat down on his face.

_“They say before you start a war, you better know what you’re fighting for. Well baby you are all that I adore. If love is what you need, a soldier I will be.”_

Dean gulped. This song was all Cas. Every line, every phrase. It reminded him forcefully of the time Zachariah had sent him to 2014, when a broken and beaten down Cas had died for his future self. Dean shook the thought away. It still hurt to think about.

_“I don’t care if Heaven won’t take me back. I’d throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe. Don’t you know you’re everything I have?”_

Dammit. Cas couldn’t have predicted this. He was human now, there’s no way he could have known this song would be on. This couldn’t be on purpose, but the coincidence was a strange one.

_“And I want to live not just survive tonight. Sometimes to win, you’ve got to sin. Don’t mean I’m not a believer…”_

Dean listened to the rest of the song, refusing to admit that he liked it, and knowing the only reason he did was because it reminded him of the gorgeous man sitting next to him. Dean reached out to take Cas’ hand as the song ended, and a woman’s voice came on to host. 

“Here,” Cas said, pressing a tape into Dean’s waiting hand. “You didn’t seem to enjoy that. Listen to some Aerosmith.”

Dean popped the tape in, and held on to Cas as a song came on. He turned the music down, and relaxed his shoulders.

“Is everything okay?” Cas asked.

“Yeah, Cas baby. Everything is perfect.” 

Cas grinned and rested his head against the seat again, sighing contentedly. Dean drove the rest of the way with his music blasting. They pulled into Bobby’s place a few hours later, and happily stretched their tight leg muscles when they got out of the Impala. Sam met them at the door, an anxious look on his face.

“Hey, where’s Anna?” Dean asked.

“She’s inside, helping Bobby with the dishes. Sorry you missed lunch, but there’s stuff for sandwiches in the fridge if you want,” Sam answered.

“I’ll go make us a sandwich,” Cas said, and he disappeared into the kitchen.

Sam and Dean made it to the living room and sat on the tattered couch. Sam was unable to keep his feet still, and his hands shook slightly.

“Dude, calm down,” Dean said. “It’s just a question. The worst she can say is no.”

Sam shot Dean a bitch face.

“I’ll remind you of that when you ask Cas.”

Dean sucked in a breath and choked on his own spit. He pounded his chest with his fist, eyes watering. Sam watched in amusement. When Dean was finally able to speak again, he rounded on Sam.

“Where the _hell_ did you get that idea?” he said, eyes darting to the door to the kitchen, making sure Cas hadn’t heard them.

“Please, Dean. I’ve never seen you so happy before. It’s only a matter of time, and you know it,” Sam said.

Cas chose that moment to walk through the door with a plate of sandwiches and two drinks.

“Anna and Bobby said they’ll be done in just a minute. Sandwich?” Cas said, offering one to Dean.

Dean took it, thanking Cas, and watched the man bite into his own. Just looking at Cas made his heart beat faster. Could he do this forever? Would Cas even want to? Why the hell was he even thinking about this? He wasn’t the marrying type. He didn’t stay with one person long. But still…Cas. It was Cas.

“You going to eat, Dean?” Sam asked, smiling at the inner battle he knew his brother was fighting.

Dean frowned at him and took a bite of the sandwich, his mind still elsewhere. Bobby and Anna walked into the room, laughing and smiling, and Dean watched a look of complete terror cross his brother’s face. Bobby sat down in the old recliner, and Anna sunk down to Sam’s other side. Dean leaned in and whispered in Sam’s ear.

“It’s showtime, baby brother.”

Sam gave a barely perceptible nod, and pulled a small box out of his pocket without anyone but Dean seeing it. He gulped, a sheen of sweat playing on his forehead. Then, with a deep breath to steel himself, he turned to where Anna was sitting on the couch.

“A-Anna…you know you’re special to me. I-I mean…we haven’t known each other for very long, but I’m happier with you than I have been in a long time. I love you,” Sam managed to get out before his throat constricted.

Anna placed a hand on his knee. 

“I love you too, Sam. Is everything okay?” she said in a worried tone. 

Sam nodded and smiled widely. Then he slid out of his chair and onto the floor on one knee.

“Everything is fine, because I have you. And I never want anyone else for the rest of my life,” Sam said in a stronger voice, and he opened the small box to show a beautiful ring. “Anna…will you marry me?”

Anna’s eyes widened, then clenched shut as she grinned and laughed.

“Yes!” she squealed, and tumbled into the floor to wrap her arms around Sam’s neck. 

Sam lost his balance and both of them fell to the floor in a heap, laughing and kissing each other.

“Well I’ll be damned,” Bobby said, a look of happiness on his face. “I think this calls for a drink.”

Sam sat in the room after they finally stopped kissing, hand entwined with Anna’s, as everyone congratulated the two on their new engagement in their own unique way.

“You idjit, why didn’t you take her out to dinner instead of doing it my damn living room?” Bobby growled, smacking Sam hard on the back of the head and pulling Anna into a rare hug.

“Damn, Sammy, never thought you’d find a girl to put up with you having more hair than her,” Dean laughed, and cast a glance at Cas, Sam’s comments still on his mind.

“We need more girls in this family,” Anna said with a wide smile and flushed cheeks. “How am I supposed to pick out a dress alone?”

“How many different white dresses can there be?” Dean said.

“White dress?” Cas said, turning away from properly congratulating Sam. “Why white? Your favorite color is purple.”

“Brides wear white as a symbol of purity,” Sam said. “You know, virginity.”

Cas looked confused.

“But Anna, you’re-”

“ _Cas!_ ” Dean said loudly.

“Yeah, I’m going out to work on the cars,” Bobby chuckled and ambled toward the door.

“Want a beer?” Dean asked those remaining in the room, and Anna shook her head.

“You and Sam go ahead,” Cas said, knowing the brothers would probably wish to talk in private.

Dean put his hand on Sam’s shoulders.

“Follow me, baby brother. It’s time we had the birds and bees talk.”

Anna and Cas stretched out on the couch. Cas took her hand in his.

“Congratulations, Anna. I am so happy for you,” he said sincerely.

“Thanks, Castiel. I want you to be in it, okay? You’re the only family I’ve got.”

“I’ll do anything you need me to do, including going with you to find a dress,” Cas stopped for a moment. “Why did Dean make me stop talking earlier?”

Anna laughed loudly.

“It’s not really polite to say someone shouldn’t wear white on their wedding day,” Anna said. “Besides, it’s just a symbol of purity.”

“Why is it a secret? Everyone in this house knows that you and Sam have had sex. Bobby walked in on you,” Cas said, and Anna grimaced slightly as she patted his knee.

“Oh, Cas…I’m as old as the Earth. Do you really think Sam was the first? Was Dean your first?” she joked, but then saw the look cross Cas’ face. “He _was!_ That is so cute!”

“Who was your first?” Cas asked, hoping to deflect his embarrassment. 

“William the Conqueror,” she said immediately, with no hint of shame. “Right after I came to Earth for the first time. I met him outside the castle one day, and things went from there. Being a handmaiden had its perks.”

“Dean was a handmaiden once,” Sam said as he and Dean came back into the room with their beers.

“Shut up. I looked awesome,” Dean said, and took a seat next to Cas. “Who’s up for a movie? Bobby’s got some in the cabinet. It’s Sammy’s turn to pick.”

Sam jumped up to pick out of the VHS tapes Bobby had. He compiled several, including Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Rush Hour, and Young Frankenstein. They watched movies until that evening, stopping only to eat a brief dinner with Bobby before he went to his room for the night. 

“Okay, pick another movie,” Dean told Sam as the credits ran on Young Frankenstein.

“I’m letting Anna take this one,” Sam said, and Anna grinned as she stood to choose the movie.

She dug through the old VHS collection Bobby had, before triumphantly pulling a box out and sliding the tape into the VCR. The previews rolled, and Dean recognized it immediately as one of his favorites from childhood. He’d never admit it to anyone, though.

“The Little Mermaid?” Sam asked, shifting his eyes toward his brother.

“This might be the best Disney movie ever,” Anna said, turning off the lights and plopping herself in Sam’s lap. “I loved it when it came out. I must have gone to see it fifty times.”

Dean knew the feeling. He had begged John to take him to see it, but John said they didn’t have time. Besides, John said that a ten year old was too big to still watch Disney. When Bobby found out, he was pissed. He and John had an argument in the kitchen while they thought the boys were asleep, but no one could sleep through that. 

_“Dammit, John! That boy is a killer in training, and not by his own choice! If he wants to go see a movie, be a normal kid for once, you let him!”_

_“Don’t you dare tell me how to raise my boys, Bobby.”_

_“Who’s raising ‘em? The only thing you’re doin’ for those boys is training ‘em to be soldiers! What would Mary say?”_

John had stormed out, leaving the boys with Bobby for two weeks. In that time, Bobby took Dean to the theater as much as he could. And when Christmas came, Dean found a copy of the movie under the tree at Bobby’s house.

Dean lay back onto the couch, and wrapped his arm around Cas, who snuggled back against him. When the song Part of Your World came on, Sam tossed Dean another look. Dean simply rolled his eyes at him and pretended to look anywhere but the screen. In his head, though, he was singing the song. It brought back memories of ugly, unsanitary motel rooms with Sammy, both of them sitting on one bed while watching the movie over and over again, singing the songs in goofy voices. One time, they had just finished and turned off the movie when John came through the door. After John had fallen asleep, Dean had quietly slipped the tape out of the VCR and into his bag. 

When the movie was over, Anna insisted on Beauty and the Beast, but Dean didn’t have much interest in it. He’d been nearly fourteen when it had come out, and well indoctrinated into the hunter lifestyle at that point. 

“I think I’ll go to bed,” Dean stretched widely. 

“I’ll come with you,” Cas said. “You two could use some time alone.”

They left Sam and Anna to their movies, and climbed the stairs to Dean’s room.

“I’m sorry for my mistake earlier,” Cas said when they sat on the bed. “Anna explained to me why it was inappropriate.”

“Yeah, you shouldn’t really question the virginity of the bride, Cas,” Dean said, grinning.

“I didn’t know about her history, only about Sam,” Cas said.

“Who was her first?” Dean asked, genuinely curious.

“It’s not really my place to say,” Cas said.

“Aw, come on, Cas!”

Cas shook his head resolutely.

“Yeah, alright. You know, I don’t know much about your history either. Spill it,” Dean said.

“Spill…what?” Cas asked, confused.

“Who was your first time? It was probably someone well-known…Cleopatra? Or maybe Caesar…wait, have you always been into guys? Maybe…maybe someone godlike…I’d say Zeus, but he was a dick. Aphrodite, right? Yeah, that makes sense,” Dean rambled, and Cas’ face grew steadily warmer.

Dean finally stopped listing historical people he knew, and his eyes landed on Cas’ red face. He was avoiding Dean’s gaze.

“Was it that bad? Don’t worry, everyone’s first time blows,” Dean said.

“No, my first time was…spectacular. It was the best night of my life, actually,” Cas said, meeting Dean’s gaze reluctantly.

“Oh,” Dean said, rather disappointed, but noticed how Cas was looking directly at him. “ _Oh_. Cas, was I- I mean, were you a-”

“Yes, Dean, you were my first.”

“But dude! You were so good! Are you telling me you hadn’t done that before?” Dean asked.

“I’ve been around a long time, Dean. I know how to have sex. And I’ve observed it many times.”

“That’s kind of kinky, man. Did you at least tell the people you were watching them?” Dean asked him.

“No, I never bothered you. You seemed rather busy,” Cas stated simply.

Dean sputtered.

“You watched me? What the hell, man?”

“You seemed the best qualified to observe. I have to admit, experiencing sex with you was still much more pleasurable than I expected it to be,” Cas said.

Pride swept through Dean. Damn right he was good. But it was quickly replaced by a sudden thought.

“What about April? You know, the girl that stabbed you? You told Sam and I you slept with her.”

Cas sighed, and covered his face briefly with his hands.

“I’m not proud of it, but I lied, Dean. I had to go confess my sins after I did it, but I lied to make you jealous,” he said.

“You went to confession for that?” Dean asked. “What exactly did you say?”

“The truth. I told the priest that I had sinned. He heard all of my sins, even from when I was still angel and drank that whole liquor store. Then I told him I had lied about having sex with a woman to make the man I was in love with jealous. I told him it was highly shameful behavior for an angel to lie, even a fallen one,” Cas said, frowning.

“That is freakin’ awesome! I wish I could’ve heard what he said to that!” Dean said, holding his stomach from laughing so hard.

“He said I was forgiven, but I may want to consider going to something called Alcoholics Anonymous.”

Dean positively roared with laughter.

“S-stop it! I’m going to piss myself, holy shit!” Dean gasped out, and Cas began to laugh too, a deep and scratchy sound echoing in the room.

Eventually, hiccupping and wiping tears from their eyes, they calmed down. Cas lay down with his head in Dean’s lap, and Dean began to stroke his hair. Cas looked up at him with bright blue eyes.

“I should have just been honest,” Cas said, yawning widely.

“Yeah, maybe, but I should have been too. Let’s get some sleep,” Dean said, leaning over and kissing Cas on the forehead before standing up to undress.

Soon, he and Cas were in their night clothes, laying in the dark room and nearly asleep in each other’s arms.

“Dean?” Cas asked tentatively.

“What, Cas baby?” Dean answered with a smile.

“What’s Alcoholics Anonymous?”

Dean started to laugh again, squeezing Cas to his side and kissing him on the lips gently.

“I love you so much. Don’t ever change.”

“I love you too, Dean,” Cas answered, then lay his head back before closing his eyes. “And just so you know, there is no one in the history of the world I would rather have lost my virginity to.”

Dean smiled softly, and both men were asleep in minutes.


	5. Chapter 5

Dean awoke the following morning with his arms tangled around Cas, and Cas’ legs thrown carelessly over his own.

“Cas,” Dean prodded him, but he simply grunted. “Cas baby, wake up. I want to go get breakfast for everyone.”

“Do I have to?” Cas groaned.

“Yes,” Dean said firmly. “You have to get used to waking up at a normal time, baby. Up.”

Cas gave a sigh that rivaled the ones Dean was used to hearing from Sam, but heaved his legs off of Dean and out of the bed. He stretched, popping a bit, and stood to find his clothes. Dean grinned and got dressed as well. 

They quietly left the house in the early morning sun, the dew hanging heavy on everything in sight. Dean started his car, and he and Cas drove off through the open farmland to find the coffee shop Dean knew opened at six am. They were about five miles from home, and about fifteen from the town, when Cas sat upright in his chair.

“Stop, Dean,” he said, and Dean immediately pulled over.

“If you gotta puke, do it outside,” he said, but Cas got out and started whistling instead. “Dude, what the hell are you doing?”

“There’s a dog. It just crossed over into the cow pasture, and he’s going to get kicked. Cows hate small things around their feet,” Cas said, as though everyone knew it. “Come here, puppy! Here, dog! Sit! Stay…Fido? Bruiser? Fluffy?”

“Cas, you can’t just say random pet names. Besides, it probably belongs to someone.”

“No, there’s no houses around. This is a cow pasture,” Cas said in a worried voice. “Come on, puppy!”

Dean rolled his eyes but got out to help. At last, the puppy seemed to notice them. It turned to trot at them at least. A mother cow noticed it coming toward her calf, and though Cas shouted, it made no difference. The puppy turned to walk in a straighter line to them, but the heifer lifted her back leg and kicked out at it. It fell immediately.  
Cas was over the electric fence in one leap, and the cows ran when they saw him enter the field. Dean felt secretly relieved that no bulls were present to get territorial. He knew they could be deadly. Cas bent and scooped up the pup, cradling it in his arms as he hopped over the fence again. This time, he caught his pants on the wire and ripped them slightly. He didn’t even pay attention; he simply held the puppy.

“I think she just got him in the leg, but we need to get him to a vet, right now,” Cas said, with such warm sincerity in his eyes that Dean just nodded and started the car.   
Cas held the puppy in his arms gently, rocking and singing songs in Enochian to calm its whimpering and shaking. Dean managed to make it to town and find the vet in ten minutes.

“Can I help you?” a technician asked at the front desk.

“This puppy was kicked by a cow. Please help him,” Cas said, holding out the tiny animal with shaking hands.

The woman took him, and instructed Dean and Cas to sit while she went back to see the vet. She returned a few moments later, empty handed, and Cas stared at her fearfully. She smiled reassuringly. 

“The vet is looking at him. Are you his owners?” she asked, and Dean and Cas shook their heads. 

Her face fell slightly.

“Oh. Well, we can’t treat him if there is no one to pay for it. If he’s a stray, we can try to contact some of the local animal groups, see if they’ll sponsor him. That could take a few hours,” she said, digging through paperwork.

“But what about internal bleeding?” Cas asked. “He could die waiting for treatment!”

“I know, darlin’, but I don’t make the rules here. I just do what they tell me.”

Cas sank back on the chair, looking heartbroken, his eyes bright with tears he seemed to be holding back. Dean made his mind up instantly.

“We’ll pay for it. Just save him.”

The technician left to tell the vet, and Cas looked at Dean as though he had saved a million people.

“Dean…thank you,” he said, and dropped his head onto Dean’s shoulder.

“I would do anything for you, even if I think it’s just a stupid dog,” Dean said.

“A life is a life, no matter how small,” Cas said, and Dean felt a surge of familiarity.

“Where do I know that from?” he asked, and Cas sat up to look him in the eye.

“Horton Hears a Who,” Cas said. “Well, it was similar to that. I believe the elephant said ‘person’ not ‘life’, but I am not so odd as to think my life is worth more than another creature’s.”

“When did you watch that movie?” Dean asked.

“I didn’t. I read the book at Bobby’s when I was…still an angel. You had to sleep, and I was bored.”

Dean tried to ignore the knot in his stomach when he realized that it was a copy of his book Cas had read. Bobby had held on to much of Dean and Sam’s childhood things, and the thought made Dean want to give Bobby a hug. 

Dean and Cas settled into reading old magazines. Well, Dean read. Cas stared at the page and looked between the magazine and the care rooms every thirty seconds. Finally, after an hour, the vet made her way out of a room and to the front, carrying the tiny puppy in a cardboard shoebox. Cas rose and met her at the counter, Dean close behind him. One glance in the box showed the puppy fast asleep, covered with a scrap of blanket.

“Hi, I’m Doctor Milligan,” she said, and Dean and Cas introduced themselves quickly.

“Will he be okay?” Cas asked anxiously.

“By some miracle, yes. The cow only got his back leg. It’s broken, but we set it and wrapped it, then put on a cast,” she said, and moved the blanket aside so they could see a tiny, purple plaster cast on the animal’s leg.

“Is he hurting?” Cas asked. 

“He will be when he wakes up. I’m going to give you a pain pill for him. He’ll need to take it twice a day for four weeks, and then come back so we can check his leg, and give him his second dose of shots. I went ahead and gave him the first dose today.”

“We’ll be here,” Cas said, and Dean raised his eyebrows.

“It’s not our dog,” Dean said, but he put his hand in the box reflexively to pet the animal’s soft face.

The pup gave a small sigh and nuzzled into Dean’s touch. Dammit. The vet grinned.

“Looks like it is now.”

Dean sighed and Cas took the pup to the car as Dean paid the bill. 

“Take care of him,” the vet said.

“We will,” Dean answered.

“Not just the puppy. That’s some special man you’ve got there,” Doctor Milligan said, inclining her head toward the window.

Dean glanced out the window, and could see Cas sitting in the front seat of the car, worrying over the puppy, his mouth moving in some song or story, tucking the small creature in like he would a baby.

“I know.”

Dean stopped and grabbed breakfast to bring with them back to Bobby’s house. Cas fretted constantly over the puppy the entire way back, adjusting and readjusting his blanket so many times that Dean was surprised he didn’t wake him up. 

“So I went out for coffee and came back with a dog. Never a dull moment with you, Cas,” Dean said, but he winked, and Cas smiled.

“I suppose not,” Cas said quietly, and he absentmindedly smoothed the tiny pup’s fur.

“What do you want to name him? You saved him, you name him,” Dean said, and Cas thought it over for a moment.

“Malpirgi,” he said, the sound rolling off his tongue elegantly.

“Enochian?” Dean asked, and Cas nodded. “That’s a mouthful. What does it mean?”

“Life,” Cas answered.

“That makes sense,” Dean said reasonably. “I mean, you saved his life. It beats the hell out of Lucky.”

“I mean it more as a new life,” Cas said, and flushed. “The life between you and I. Malpirgi gets a second chance, and so do we.”

Dean held onto Cas’ hand the rest of the way back to Bobby’s.

*

“Honey, we’re home!” Dean called as they opened the door.

The others met them in the living room, bleary eyed, and happily took their breakfasts in the chairs. Cas sat Malpirgi’s box onto the floor, where the puppy continued to sleep, and ate without anyone even noticing. That was, however, until the tiny animal gave a small squeak in his sleep.

Bobby looked around the room, his hunter ears trained to listen for any odd sounds.

“The hell was that?” he asked, and Cas picked the box back up.

“Meet Malpirgi,” Dean said, and both Anna and Sam let out a squeal, though Sam tried to cover his up.

“Where did you get a _dog?_ ” Anna asked.

Dean told her the whole story, and as he ended it, the puppy woke up and started to cry. Quick as a flash, Cas had the creature in his arms and headed out the front door to let him use the bathroom. Dean watched it hobble around outside, Cas standing over it with a worried frown on his face.

“Already in love with the puppy?” Anna asked, and Dean turned his head back to face her.

“I’d say he’s in love with Cas, not the dog. Dean hates dogs. But one look from those blue eyes Cas has-,” Sam began.

“Shut up, Sammy,” Dean said.

“Going to try to _make me_ , Dean?” Sam grinned widely.

“Dammit boys, act your ages. No wrestling matches in my damn living room when you’re the size of bears,” Bobby grunted.

Dean and Sam made faces at each other, but each was thinking of the time they came to visit, and had broken one of Bobby’s lamps while wrestling over the remote.

Cas came back into the room, praising Malpirgi over going outside, and Dean’s ears turned red. Cas looked adorable like that. He placed Malpirgi back into the box, where he promptly fell asleep, and Cas finished his cold breakfast.

“I’m off to do a beer run and get some groceries. I ain’t used to feeding a houseful of people,” Bobby said, standing up to stretch.

Sam fidgeted guiltily.

“I’ll come with you, and I’m buying this week,” he said, and he got to his feet as well. 

Sam and Bobby left for the store, Anna drifted off to go back to bed, and Cas took the breakfast mess to the kitchen, leaving Dean alone with the puppy. He prayed it wouldn’t wake up. But since when did prayer work for him? He soon heard a small whimpering. Sighing, he slipped his hand under the pup and pulled it to his chest.

“What’s wrong, dog?” he asked, and Malpirgi nuzzled into his neck, sniffling. 

Dean felt himself relax, despite his internal argument that he was not a dog person. Still, it did feel soft and warm. Soon, Malpirgi was asleep again, and Dean slowly lay down on the couch himself, careful not to wake him.

“Alright, Pirg, you win. But just for a few minutes, then back into the box.”

Cas walked into the room fifteen minutes later, having done the dishes and straightened the kitchen. He glanced down at Dean, snoring lightly, and Malpirgi, laying on his side and breathing deeply. Cas quietly backed out of the room to the stairs, and climbed them. He collapsed onto his and Dean’s bed, utterly exhausted, and was asleep in minutes.

Dean awoke when Anna stumbled down the stairs an hour later. Malpirgi gave a small grunt when Dean sat up and put him back into his box, then rolled over and fell back asleep.

“Ugh. I never get enough sleep,” Anna grumbled, but smiled at Dean when she sat down in the room.

“I know the feeling. Sam still not back?” he asked.

“He called a few minutes ago. He said shopping with Bobby is like shopping with a grandmother, but they’re on their way.”

“I believe it,” Dean said. “So, set a date for the wedding yet?”

“Next week,” Anna said, and Dean stared at her.

“A week from now? Jesus, Anna, how will you get everything done?” Dean asked.

“It’s not much, really. We’re getting married up at the cabin, I found a dress, you guys are wearing your fed suits, and Bobby is the preacher. I don’t want anything huge, and neither does Sam.”

“How the hell is Bobby the preacher?” Dean asked.

“He got ordained online a year ago for some case. Something about stronger holy water or something.”

Dean briefly wondered how Bobby would look in preacher’s robes, but the silence was broken when Sam and Bobby opened the door, lugging bags with them.

Cas came down the stairs at the noise, and he and Anna insisted on putting things away, claiming they didn’t help out enough. Bobby retreated to his room, much more tired than he let on, and Sam and Dean opened beers and turned on a baseball game.

“Anna said the wedding is next week,” Dean said, and Sam smiled.

“Yeah, we decided not to wait. I got a favor to ask though.”

“Sammy, if you make me do something sappy, I swear-”

“Be my best man?” Sam asked, and Dean set his beer on the table.

“Dude, yes.”

Sam laughed.

“That’s the exact answer I expected,” he said, leaning back in his chair to continue watching the game.

“So where are you two going to live?” Dean asked, resuming the sipping of his beer.

“We hadn’t thought about it. We’ll still be hunting, so why do we even need a place?” Sam asked.

“Maybe you should try being normal, Sasquatch. Settle down, give me some nieces and nephews,” Dean said.

He and Sam passed a few more minutes in silence, before Anna, Bobby, and Cas joined them. The afternoon flew by after that, as Anna tried to explain the concept of baseball to Cas.

“So Miller is on first. If Anderson gets a double, that will put Miller on third, and Anderson on second,” Anna said.

“But who is on first then?” Cas asked.

“No one, Castiel, it’s a double. They move two spots,” Anna said, but Cas was still confused.

Dean watched Sam stare at Anna with love in his eyes. For the first time in years, Sam looked completely happy. Cas sent a confused glance his way as Anna discussed foul balls. Dean realized maybe Sammy wasn’t the only one who had found happiness.

*

It was the day before the big wedding, and Sam was starting to get nervous. He never said the words out loud, but Dean knew his little quirks; the fidgeting, the constant running of his hands through his hair, the massive bitch face he pulled when Dean made jokes.

“Dude, calm down. We’re going out tonight. You, me, Cas, and Bobby. A man only gets married once. Well, he should, anyway,” Dean said, thumping his frowning brother on the back.

“I can’t, Dean. We can’t leave Anna here by herself.”

“Who said she’d be alone? Look who showed up when you were on your stupid laptop,” Dean said, gesturing toward the front window. 

Sam could see Cas laughing with a redheaded woman on the porch, but her hair was much too short to be Anna. Sam walked to the door and flung it open, striding outside and picking his adopted little sister up.

“Charlie! It’s so good to see you! What are you doing here?” Sam asked as he put her down.

“Dean called me to give Anna some girl time. I was at a Supernatural con a few hours away, so I came to visit. Where is Anna?” Charlie asked.

“I’ll get her,” Dean said from the doorway.

“What do you mean you went to a Supernatural convention?” Sam asked, and Charlie smiled widely.

“I had to see what they think of you. That’s how I knew who Cas was when I saw him here on the steps. He’s obviously the angel Dean is head over heels in love with in the series,” she said, and Cas smiled slightly. “They introduced the guys who are going to play you in the show-”

“They’re making it into a _show?_ ” Sam asked.

“Yeah, didn’t you know? And the casting directors did a good job on it too. They look almost exactly like you and Dean. The actor playing you is Jared Pada-something, and the soap opera star Jensen Ackles plays Dean. And some crazy guy plays you, Cas, but he seems really sweet. Kinda weird, but in an adorable way. Damn, what was his name…something different…Mashtu? Isham?”

“Misha?” Sam asked, and Charlie looked surprised.

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“We’ve met. Sort of,” Sam said.

“Dude, that is one story I have to hear.”

“Charlie, this is Anna,” Dean said, appearing on the porch and introducing the two women.

“Hi!” Charlie said brightly, then she turned to whisper to Sam. “Hot _damn_ , Sam, way to pick a woman! She have a sister?”

“Why the hell are all of you outside?” Bobby asked, coming to the doorway. “I have chairs, you know. And beer. Get in here.”

The group walked into the living room, and Dean could have sworn he saw a flicker of a smile cross Bobby’s face at seeing his home so full of people. Charlie was quickly introduced to Bobby, even though she already knew who he was, of course, and plans were made for the evening. Soon, Charlie and Anna escaped to Anna’s room to get away from the boys and get ready.

“What was Charlie saying about that Misha guy?” Dean asked, and Sam grimaced.

“They’re making a show based on Chuck’s books. Apparently, Misha, Jensen, and Jared exist in this reality as well as the one Balthazar threw us into. Here, look, I pulled them up online,” Sam said, and Dean leaned in to take a look.

“They look just like us…how the hell-,” Dean began, but Cas cut him off.

“That’s because they essentially are you, just with different names and backgrounds,” Cas said, and Dean and Sam stared at him, confused. “You cannot mess with time as much as we have and not have some consequences.”

“So we made the boys into doubles by screwing with time. Perfect,” Bobby growled.

“We’ve gone through time a few times, Cas…” Sam said, and Cas nodded warily.

“You have. And each time a double was flashed into existence, with your shell, but different lives, depending on what changed in the timeline. When you travel in time, you technically exist in two places at once: the present and wherever in time you are. In order for that to happen, a double must be made.”

A brief silence followed.

“Well, shit,” Dean finally said. “No more time travel. I don’t need any more doppelgängers floating around. But I gotta say, if there was one way to make sure no one thought our lives were real, it would be to make it into a t.v. show.”

“True,” Sam said. “Now even if they google the real us, the fake us will show up.”

Dean was trying to process that sentence when Charlie yelled down the stairs.

“Guys! If you’re going, you need to leave. Sam can’t see Anna until the ceremony.”

“We aren’t even dressed!” Dean yelled back.

“Then _get_ dressed! You’ve got fifteen minutes, and then I’m coming down there to personally kick Sam out!”

The boys rose and dressed quickly, and were out the door in ten minutes, Sam looking slightly upset.

“Dude, it’s your bachelor party. Live it up. You’ll see Anna tomorrow,” Dean said, and he steered the Impala to the bar they’d decided on. 

The bar was not what the name suggested. Sid’s Tavern was loud, raucous, and playing some of the worst music Dean had ever heard. Still, it looked to be a fun night. Sid’s was packed. They sat down at a booth and ordered some beers and hot wings, shouting to each other over the thumping music. Dean could see people grinding to it on the dance floor.

“We need round two!” Bobby yelled, and volunteered to go get it.

“Did you even research this place?” Dean asked Cas, who nodded.

“Of course I did. The reviews said it was an entertaining place, look,” Cas held up his phone with the review page pulled up.

“Look at the screen names, Cas!” Dean laughed. “MTVaintGotShitOnMe, BeautyandtheBeat, DrunkNSingle…these are kids!”

“It’s no problem, Cas,” Sam said, when Cas looked slightly put out. “I like it. Where the hell is Bobby?”

Dean glanced up at the bar and saw an attractive older woman running her hand over Bobby’s shoulders, while he grinned and she spoke into his ear.

“I think he’s busy. I’ll get the round,” Dean said.

The night progressed with more intoxication and less annoyance at the music. Bobby had stopped back by the table to tell them not to wait up, and left with the brunette woman with legs longer than Sam’s. In a rather inebriated state, Dean had drug Sam and Cas both to the dance floor. Cas was an awful dancer, but Sam was good. 

“Dean, I don’t really know how to dance,” Cas said, as Sam moved off to dance with someone.

“It’s easy, Cas baby. It’s like having sex, but with your clothes on. Use your hips. I know you can do that,” Dean said, and he grasped onto Cas’ hips, swaying them to the music and bringing them closer to his own.

Soon, Cas was moving on his own, looking much more at ease. Dean reached out again and pulled Cas to his hips, grinding them against one another. Cas’ breath hitched in his throat. This was exactly like sex. He licked his lips, and Dean noticed. With a slight smirk, Dean increased the rubbing, going in delicious circles against Cas’ now hard dick. 

Cas pulled him closer, so that their entire bodies were touching. Their movements became more erratic and needy. Dean finally closed the last of the distance between them and pressed their mouths together. Cas gave a small moan, and both men stopped dancing, more drawn toward pressing their bodies together and tangling their tongues.

Sam was dancing good-naturedly with a blonde woman when she nudged him and pointed. 

“Isn’t that your brother?”

“Ah, damn. Thanks,” Sam said, then went over to break Cas and Dean up.

“Jesus, guys, on the dance floor? Come on, let’s get going. I’m tired,” Sam said, and he pulled them both out of the bar.

Before they had crossed into the parking lot, when it was still loud enough so that Sam wouldn’t hear, Cas leaned in and whispered in Dean’s ear.

“Just wait until I get you home.”

*

Dean and Cas sat in the backseat while Sam drove home to Bobby’s house. Though Dean said he was fine, Sam still thought he’d had too much to drink to be driving. Cas kept running his thumb in circles over Dean’s palm, sending heat shooting up his body.

“You excited about tomorrow?” Dean asked Sam.

“Very. But I also kind of feel like I’m going to throw up,” Sam said.

Cas slid his hand up Dean’s thigh in the dark, and Dean gave a small hiss at the feeling of Cas’ warm hand suddenly pressing into his crotch.

“Don’t do that. Orange puke would clash with Anna’s h-hair,” Dean stuttered as Cas gave a squeeze to his growing erection.

“You okay back there?” Sam asked, eyes flickering to the mirror.

“Yeah, yeah. Just yawned. Sleepy, you know? Could you turn up the music so I can stay awake?”

“Sure, man.”

Sam turned up whatever crap he was listening to on the radio, and Dean shot Cas a challenging look. Cas stared back, his hand still cupped over Dean’s dick. Slowly, he began to rub the length of it, and Dean nearly moaned. Dean tried to move his hand over to grab Cas’ tent in his pants, but Cas used his other hand to stop him. Cas leaned in closely, his breath barely above a whisper.

“Not tonight. Tonight, I’m the boss.”

Dean felt a shiver of excitement wash over him. He nodded and leaned back into Cas’ space.

“So what do you want to do to me…sir?” Dean whispered, and Cas’ eyes grew wide, the pupils huge.

Dean liked this. He could turn Cas on by being submissive, and it was a huge turn on to be dominated by Cas. 

“I can’t tell you yet, Dean,” Cas said in a low voice. “But I’m going to enjoy it.”

Dean didn’t think the car would ever reach Bobby’s, but finally they pulled in to the yard. Cas quickly let Pirg out for a bathroom break, then left the pup to snuggle up to Sam on the couch, as he put an old VHS tape of Blazing Saddles into the VCR.

“Gotta get some sleep. See you in the morning, bright and early,” Dean said, practically pulling Cas to the bedroom.

He had barely closed the door behind him when Cas suddenly pressed him into the wall, pinning his arms to his sides. He peppered kisses up one side of his neck, across his face, and down the other side. Dean’s knees were already feeling weak.

“The things I’m going to do to you, Dean Winchester,” Cas growled out, nipping at Dean’s collarbone, before lifting up to meet his eyes. “But first…if I scare you, if you want to stop for any reason, just say so.”

Dean grinned wickedly.

“There is nothing you can possibly do to me that I don’t want to do. But if I want to stop, I’ll say pie, okay?” Dean said, but Cas still looked worried. “Come on, do what you want to me.”

Cas’ eyes grew wide again at the submissive tone, and he kissed Dean fiercely. Both men stripped each other down quickly, gasping and moaning at the feeling of skin on skin. Cas backed Dean to the bed and gave him a shove down onto it. Dean waited for Cas to get in bed too, but he didn’t.

“Dean, show me how you pleasure yourself. I want to watch,” Cas said, hunger in his eyes.

Dean immediately complied, sliding his rough hand down his body until he came to his hard dick. He wrapped his hand around it and began to slide it up and down. The feeling was too dry; he needed lube. Cas must have sensed that, because he came over to the side of the bed, and took Dean’s hand away from his cock. He brought Dean’s hand to his mouth and licked his palm and up each finger. Then he placed the hand back around Dean’s now throbbing cock.

Cas could turn him on like no one else could, and that was about the hottest thing he had ever seen. Dean began to stroke himself again, and closed his eyes at the feeling, enjoying that Cas was watching him do this.

“Open your eyes,” Cas commanded, and Dean’s eyes jerked open in surprise. “I want to watch you, all of you.”

Dean swallowed. Damn, this was sexy. He kept up the motions until he couldn’t hold back. Cas’ eyes on him were too much. He was covered in a sheen of sweat, and the pleasure in his body was building. He began to buck into his hand, hips raising off the bed. Before he could come, Cas quickly removed his hand.

“My turn,” Cas muttered, and Dean didn’t hesitate. 

Cas was standing next to the bed, and Dean lay on his stomach, the feeling of the blankets on his cock sending tingles to his toes. He grasped Cas with one hand, and firmly slid his mouth over his dick, slurping and groaning to release some of his own horniness. Cas groaned and threaded one hand into Dean’s hair, then another. Then, without warning, he began to thrust Dean’s head down on his dick hard. Dean only sputtered once, then acclimated to the feeling by relaxing his throat muscles. Still, some precome and spit were dribbling down his chin.

Cas wiped one finger across Dean’s wet chin, then put it into his own mouth and sucked. Watching Cas suck his fingers while Dean sucked him was almost unbearable. Dean longed for more contact, but he knew Cas was in charge tonight.

In an instant, Cas had removed his other hand from Dean’s hair, and pulled out of his mouth. He got in the bed and lay on his back, pulling Dean by the hand until Dean was on top of him. He kissed him messily, and Dean began to grind his erection into Cas’. Dean gave a loud moan at the feeling of contact.  
“What do you want, Dean?” Cas asked.

“Mmm…fuck me,” Dean whimpered, but Cas gave his ass a sharp smack.

“What do you say?” he asked, as he gave a roll of his hips upwards.

“Ah! Please!” Dean pleaded.

“I love to hear you beg, Dean. I want you to ride me. Hard,” Cas said, and Dean rose to a sitting position right away.

Dean worked Cas in slowly, but it was hard not to take him all in at once. From the second Dean had begun, Cas had a look of pure lust on his face. Finally, Dean managed to get Cas inside, and they rocked until he was fully seated. Cas slid out, then slammed back into Dean with force, drawing a strangled cry out of the man. Cas briefly thought he may say his safe word, but instead, Dean rose up and dropped himself back down on Cas, who saw sparks.

Dean rose again, quicker this time, and came down again. This time, Cas met him with his hips and bounced him back into the air. They quickly sped up, the obscene sound of smacking flesh and dirty moans filling the room.

“Ummmf, yeah, right there,” Dean said when Cas brushed his prostate.

Cas took Dean’s hands and leaned him at an angle, pounding into the spot mercilessly.

“Fuck! Cas!” Dean yelled out, his dick jumping around wildly as Cas pushed into his sweet spot repeatedly.

“Ah, Dean!” Cas moaned, thrusting deeper.

“Please, Cas, I’m going to come! Don’t stop!” Dean begged, and Cas didn’t stop.

With a loud moan of Cas’ name, Dean came hard. He pulsed white, sticky liquid onto Cas’ stomach, and every nerve ending in his body lit up like a firework. Cas observed it all and felt Dean’s ass clench around him with the force of his orgasm. He kept thrusting, wanting to reach that high.

“Come for me, Cas. I want to feel it inside me, baby,” Dean said breathlessly while Cas continued to pound into him roughly.

Dean reached up his fingers and scraped them down Cas’ sides before resting on a nipple and giving it a small squeeze. Cas came instantly, bowing off the bed and thrusting into Dean’s sensitive hole as hard as he could. The motions and the heat of Cas’ come made Dean’s aftershocks even more enjoyable, and he rode out the last of his pleasure with Cas. Exhausted and spent, Dean rolled off Cas and onto the bed next to him. They finally caught their breath and stared at each other, goofy smiles on both of their faces.

“Where did you learn to talk like that?” Dean asked, dragging his fingers lazily down Cas’ body.

“I’ve been watching some movies on the tablet Sam lets me borrow. They seemed educational given our situation.”

“They were certainly educational, _sir_ ,” Dean joked, and Cas smiled.

“As much as that makes me want to go again, we do have a wedding to attend tomorrow,” Cas reminded him.

“Sleep is for the weak,” Dean said, but the mindblowing sex and the alcohol from earlier were making his eyes heavy. 

He threw an arm around Cas, and mumbled something about the lights being too bright. Cas reached and flicked off the bedside lamp before wrapping Dean up in his arms and smelling the sweet smell of his body. Within seconds, Dean was snoring.

“Goodnight, Dean. I love you so much.”

*

The alarm went off far too early the next morning. Cas rolled over and turned it off before groaning and standing up. Dean turned to watch him as he stretched, his naked body looking soft and toned. Dean stood and took Cas into his arms, kissing him until Cas pushed him off with a smile.

“There’s too much to be done for Sam. We can do this later,” Cas said, and he pulled some clothing on.

Dean grumbled, but followed his lead and threw on some jeans and a t-shirt.

Charlie banged on their door as she walked by.

“Hey! I locked Sam’s door so he couldn’t sneak out and see Anna. Here’s the key,” she said, kicking it under the door. “I’m taking Anna up to the cabin to get her ready. See you in a few hours.”

Cas pocketed the key, and as soon as he and Dean heard the car leave, they let Sam out of his room. He looked like he hadn’t slept, his shirt all wrinkled and disheveled. 

“You look like hell,” Dean greeted him, and Sam simply grinned.

“I couldn’t sleep. Let’s get dressed. I am _ready_ to get married.”

The boys all took their showers, with Sam taking much longer than necessary, before settling in to eat breakfast in time for Bobby to come through the front doors. He muttered a brief hello, eyes full of pride at being taken home by a beautiful woman, and went to take a shower himself. The brothers exchanged gleeful looks across the table. Bobby going home with a woman for the first time in, well, ever. This would provide endless amounts of blackmail.

Cas volunteered to wash dishes after breakfast, and Dean and Sam cleaned off the table as Bobby came back in the room, dressed finely in his best fed suit, hair combed and beard tamed.

“Can I have a word, Sam?” he asked, and Sam nodded, following him to the privacy of the living room.

Bobby took a seat on the couch, and patted for Sam to sit next to him. Sam sat.

“Big day today. Nervous?” Bobby asked.

“As hell,” Sam said, and Bobby laughed.

“Yeah, well, I threw up before Karen and I tied the knot. ‘Course, that could’ve been from the bachelor’s party the night before…” Bobby reminisced with twinkling in his eyes before coming back to the present. “I’m proud of you, son.”

Sam felt his throat constrict.

“Thanks, Bobby, that means a lot coming from you.”

“It’s too bad your daddy can’t be here today. He’d be proud as a peacock, you marrying that sweet girl. It’s tradition for the daddy to talk to his son before his big day. Look, I’m not him, but I thought I’d give it a try.”

“You’re as good as a father to me. You always have been,” Sam said, and Bobby’s eyes seemed to shine a bit brighter.

“Thanks, boy,” Bobby said in a rough tone. “So…marriage. It ain’t easy. Take my advice. Never go to bed mad, even if it means staying up ‘til three when you’ve gotta be up at five. Hold her hand in public, and kiss her too. Never take her for granted. Tell her you love her, but show it to her too. Never stop dating. Forgive her when she makes you mad. And when she cries, because she will, and it will probably be over something stupid you’ve done, you just sit there and hold her until everything gets better.”

Sam sat quietly, taking in the old man’s advice. 

“Here,” Bobby said suddenly, reaching into his pocket. “My father-in-law gave me this when Karen and I got married. I want you to have it.”

He placed a cold, metal object into Sam’s outstretched hand. Sam looked down at it curiously. It was an intricate pocket watch, silver with a golden pattern of ivy creeping across its surface. He flipped it over, and saw a delicate engraving on the back.

_May your love always grow. ___

__“Bobby…thank you,” Sam breathed, but Bobby was standing again._ _

__“Congratulations, Sam. You turned out better than I could have ever expected.”_ _

__Sam rose and gripped Bobby tightly in a hug. Both men soon stepped back, stubbornly wiping at their eyes._ _

__“Sam!” Dean yelled from the kitchen. “We’ve got to get ready, man!”_ _

__Bobby patted Sam on the back as he went to join his brother in the kitchen, more proud at that moment than he had ever been in his entire life._ _

____

*

“How the hell is this so uncomfortable? I wear this at least once a week,” Dean said irritably, adjusting his tie for the tenth time that afternoon.

He and Cas had ridden with Bobby to the cabin, while Sam brought an old clunker on his own. It was no looker, but Bobby had assured him it ran like new, and Sam wouldn’t have to go far; he and Anna would be using the cabin as their honeymoon for the next week.

“You’re just nervous,” Cas said, pushing aside Dean’s hands to fix the tie himself. 

Dean looked at Cas’ face, bright blue eyes concentrating on adjusting the tie Dean had skewed, thin hands working at the piece of fabric. Cas finally fixed it and met Dean’s eyes.

“What?” he said, tilting his head in his characteristic way.

“You look amazing,” Dean said.

“You see me in this all the time,” Cas smiled.

“I do, but I see you as an agent. Today, I’m looking at you.”

Cas flushed, but cupped his hands on Dean’s face and brought him in for a kiss. He gently stroked Dean’s face with his fingers.

“Break it up, boys, the ceremony is about to start and they need me and Dean down front of the aisle,” Bobby said, and Dean reluctantly broke away.

“See you soon,” Cas said, and Dean grinned as he left the cabin’s living room to go outside.

Dean walked out the front door and across the lawn where he and Cas had watched the stars on their visit. The layout for the wedding was simple, and everything Dean could imagine a wedding being. A smattering of random chairs from the house were in the yard, uncoordinated and random, but somehow charming. The few guests sat in the chairs, talking excitedly to one another. Dean simply waved and moved on to his place in front. A makeshift altar stood up front for Bobby to stand behind, beneath a rickety wooden arch that they had found in the shed. Someone, Dean suspected Charlie, had brightened it up by weaving wildflowers from the property inside it.

Dean stood beside his brother, who looked terrified, excited, and nauseous at the same time. Dean took the time to see who had come to his brother’s wedding. There were only three in attendance. Kevin Tran sat next to his mother Linda, who spoke animatedly to Sheriff Jody Mills. One empty seat sat next to them, and Dean assumed it would be for Cas. 

A figure stepped out on the porch, and Dean recognized Charlie in a flowy, flower print dress. She pressed play on a cd player, and bridal music played. Charlie quickly came down the aisle, much more like a hurricane than a proper bridesmaid, and took her place on the bride’s side of the altar. The doors opened once more, and everyone’s gaze was drawn to the pair walking down the aisle next.

Anna was radiating happiness and beauty in the simple white dress she had worn on her first date with Sam. Dean actually heard Sam give a small intake of breath at the sight of her. Dean thought she looked beautiful, but his eyes were drawn to the sight of Cas, in his simple suit, walking with a simple grace toward the front of the aisle. He grinned widely at Dean, finally reaching the front, and Charlie quickly pulled a remote out of her bra and turned the music off, then stuffed it back in. Dean nearly laughed. Charlie was Charlie, no matter where she was.

“Who gives this woman away?” Bobby asked, and Cas answered.

“I do.”

Cas took his seat, and the ceremony began. Bobby went through the traditional ceremony, and Dean found himself alternating between watching Sam and watching Cas. Sam looked lighter than air, a smile present on his face from the time it started. Cas was watching the entire spectacle as though he were observing a science project, however he smiled whenever he caught a look of happiness on Dean’s face.

“Anna, you have some things you’d like to say to Sam,” Bobby said, and Anna took a deep breath.

“Sam,” she said nervously. “We didn’t meet under the most normal circumstances. I had saved your brother and his angel boyfriend from Lucifer.”

A small giggle escaped Charlie’s mouth, and even Dean had to suppress another laugh. They certainly weren’t a normal family.

“But when I saw you for the first time, I knew you were special. I could see your soul, and it was so beautiful. Bright blue. The brightest soul I had ever seen. I knew it meant you had to be some kind of hero, some kind of special human. I had no idea you would be my special human. I love you.”

Anna blushed furiously, and Sam took his turn to speak.

“You are an angel, Anna. No matter what Heaven says about it, you always will be,” Sam said, and Dean was struck with the way he said the same thing to Cas. “I was going to fall for you the minute you hobbled in the front door. I knew it then. I knew when you drank coffee with your eyes closed, and when you pretended to be scared of a horror movie. I don’t know what I did to deserve this, but I love you too.”

Linda gave an audible sniff in the audience, and Dean produced the two wedding bands from his pocket.

“Let’s get down to it, then,” Bobby said, and took the rings. “Sam, do you take Anna to be your angel forever? In this life and after?”

“I do,” Sam said, and Anna slipped the ring on his finger.

“And Anna, do you take Sam to be your hunter forever? In this life and after?” 

“I do,” Anna smiled, and Sam placed the ring on her small finger.

“Then I now pronounce you husband and wife, hunter and angel! Now kiss before the world starts to end again,” Bobby said gruffly, and Anna and Sam laughed loudly.

Sam pulled Anna to him and dipped her backward slightly, kissing her soft and sweet, and everything a wedding kiss should be. They stood upright, and everyone cheered. Charlie pulled the remote from her bra again and blasted happy music to walk back down the aisle with. The guests chucked birdseed at the couple as they ran back into the cabin, where the reception was going to take place.

Everyone stood to move inside, and stretch out their sore legs. 

“You pronounced them ‘hunter and angel’, Bobby?” Dean smiled as he shook his hand.

“Yeah, it seemed appropriate. We aren’t a family for doing things the normal way.”

Dean snorted and stepped over to Cas, who took his hand immediately.

“That was beautiful,” Cas said.

“Your first wedding?” Dean asked, and Cas nodded.

“I’ve only seen angel bonding rituals, never human,” he said.

“You’ve watched humans get it on, but not get married? Dude, priorities,” Dean joked as they walked back into the house.

“You have always been my priority, Dean. Watching you came first,” Cas said seriously, and Dean pulled him to his side as entered the small living room to grab some food.

“I love you, Cas,” Dean said, and Cas nodded his head as though agreeing.

“I know. I love you too,” he said, and Dean broke away, grabbing a box out from under the couch. “Where are you going?”

“Got to give this to Sammy. Be right back,” he said, and he soon found his brother in the kitchen. 

Dean pulled him aside and handed him the box.

“What’s this?” Sam asked, and Dean shook his head.

“Open it,” he said.

Sam opened the light box in his hands, frowning slightly when he saw what was inside. His eyes read across the details of the gift, and went wide. He looked up at Dean, a surprised look on his face.

“Dean…” he began. “This is…is this what I think it is?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did Dean give Sam? Find out in part three of the Stardust series, The Gift, coming soon! Thanks for reading!


End file.
